The Department of History and Government offers programs leading to Bachelor of Arts degrees with majors in History, Political Science, and Social Studies Education. The department also supports minors in history, political science, humanities, and geography and provides several courses which meet general education requirements. It provides more specialized upper-level courses for those wishing to pursue careers related to history, political science, and social studies education.  Such education prepares students for graduate study and careers in teaching, law, military service, and other professions.

BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE
MAJOR IN HISTORY (130)

Historians study, assess, and interpret the past in a spirit of critical inquiry as they try to determine not only what happened, but the causes and effects of past events. The study of history can provide a student with a broader perspective about past events and a deeper understanding of present conditions.

I. GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 hours

General Education Requirements

II. MAJOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 hours

Required Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 hours
HIST 1113, HIST 1123, HIST 1483 or HIST 1493 (in addition to the course taken to meet the general education requirement), HIST 2133 and HIST 4793.

Electives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 hours
(Chosen from each of the following areas with the approval of the department.)
1. U.S. history courses (12 hours)
2. Non-US history courses (15 hours).  Six of those hours must consist of HIST 2113 and HIST 2223.

III. MINOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 hours

IV. ELECTIVES TO COMPLETE 128 HOURS REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION.

V. Students must achieve a grade of C or better in HIST 2133 and HIST 4793 to graduate.

VI. Required assessment exam taken prior to graduation.

BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE
MAJOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE (162)

Political Science is the study of governments, their philosophical and constitutional foundations, institutional structures, processes, interrelations, and policies. An understanding of political science leads to an appreciation of the complexity of political life and the roles of citizens in it. The Political Science Program provides courses which serve the needs of the general student as well as those students seeking a broad liberal education, preparing for graduate study in political science, or preparing for law school.

I. GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 hours

General Education Requirements

II. MAJOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 hours

Required Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 hours
PS 2113 and PS 2793

At least three hours in each of the following five areas; the remaining fifteen hours may be selected from any or all of the areas and may include PS 3721-3, Internship in Political Science(Note: PS 2001-3 may be taken for a max of 6 hours) . . . . 30 hours

Political Theory
PS 2001-3, PS 2613, PS 3613, PS 3633, PS 4491-3, PS 4591-3, PS 4613, PS 4673

Institutions and Processes
PS 2001-3, PS 2023, PS 3003, PS 3483, PS 3513, PS 3813, PS 4013, PS 4253, PS 4491-3, PS 4591-3

Politics and Behavior
PS 2001-3,  PS 2713, PS 3013, PS 3023, PS 3043, PS 3113, PS 3721-3, PS 4491-3, PS 4591-3

International Relations
PS 2001-3, PS 3213, PS 3223, PS 4053, PS 4491-3, PS 4591-3

Comparative Government
PS 2001-3, PS 3333, PS 4023, PS 4043, PS 4491-3, PS 4591-3 

III. MINOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 hours

IV. ELECTIVES TO COMPLETE 128 HOURS REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION.
Please Note: A student must complete at least 40 hours of upper division courses.

V. Required assessment exam taken prior to graduation.

BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE
MAJOR IN SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION (135)

The Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies Education degree program offers coursework in preparation for teaching social studies at the 7-12 grade level in the state of Oklahoma. Specific courses required for the major include 39 hours of major core courses, 33 hours of education courses, and 51-52 hours of general education courses, of which 24 hours are required social studies content-area courses. Thus, 63 hours of social studies coursework are required as major core courses and general education courses, with 36 total hours of history, 6 hours of political science, 6 hours of economics, 6 hours of geography, 3 hours of psychology, 3 hours of sociology, and an additional 3-hour social studies elective.

Students interested in the Social Studies Education degree should consult as early as possible with the program advisor in the Department of History and Government to ensure that the proper sequence of coursework is taken to complete the degree within 124 hours.

I. GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 hours

General Education Requirements

The Social Studies Education program requires specific courses for meeting General Education requirements as follows:

Required Courses
ENGL 1113, ENGL 1213, COMM 1113, MATH 1513 or above,
BIOL 1004 or 1364, ESCI 1135 or GEOL 1014, HIST 1483*, PS 1113*, Humanities (6 hours), HIST 1113*, SOCI 1113*, one additional non-history humanities course, PSY 1113*, ECON 2013*, Physical Education activities (4 hours) or Military Science (8 hours).

Electives
Sufficient to total 50 hours with no more than 6 hours in any one department

*Required additional core courses to supplement the major

II. MAJOR CORE COURSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 hours

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 hours
HIST 1123, HIST 1493, HIST 2113, HIST 2223, HIST 2133, HIST 3043, HIST 4773, U.S. History Elective (6 hours of 3000+ level);
Non-U.S. History Electives (3 hours of 3000+ level)

Political Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 hours
Political Science Elective (select one): PS 2023, PS 2113, PS 3003, PS 3213

Economics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 hours
Economics Elective (select one): ECON 2023, GEOG 3023

Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 hours
GEOG 2243 and GEOG 3213

Social Studies
Social Studies Elective (3 hours). Choose an additional 3000+ course in PS, GEOG, ECON, or SOCI

III. REQUIRED EDUCATION COURSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . 33 hours

EDUC 1800, EDUC 3003, *EDUC 3612, EDUC 3673, EDUC 3733, EDUC 3753(R), EDUC 4313(R), EDUC 4653(R), *EDUC 4965(R), *EDUC 4975(R), and SPED 3103.

* Courses taken in the professional semester.
(R) Restricted to students admitted to Teacher Education.

IV. ELECTIVES (IF NEEDED) REQUIRED TO COMPLETE 124 HOURS FOR GRADUATION

Social Studies Education candidates must achieve a grade of C or better in all major core courses and required education courses in order to receive credit toward a degree. If a grade of D, F, or U is achieved, the course must be repeated.

Social Studies Education candidates must demonstrate foreign language proficiency (listening and speaking) at the novice-high level as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages proficiency test or by taking a foreign language course.

Teacher Licensure/Certification

The student who completes the requirements for this degree and passes the state tests for certification in U.S. History/Oklahoma History/U.S. Government/Economics, World History/Geography, and/or Psychology/ Sociology will be eligible to apply for a standard teaching license.

Click here for current catalog courses and descriptions.