Social Studies Education at the Graduate Level

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Social Studies Lab

Master’s (M.Ed.) and Doctoral (Ph.D.) Degrees in Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) with an emphasis in Social Studies Education build expertise in this K-12 school subject area and in the professional development of teachers for it. Social Studies Education at the graduate level allows flexibility in choosing intellectually rich academic experiences that support specialization in social studies topics as well as interdisciplinary connections to related fields.

  • The M.Ed. serves practicing educators seeking to upgrade their certification and professional expertise. Master’s Degree students work with a faculty adviser to choose classes that contribute to their understanding of K-12 social studies curriculum, teaching and learning, and educational research. Student work includes academic writing that leads to a Master’s project before graduation.
  • The Ph.D. serves educators interested in an academic career in social studies teacher education at colleges or universities or a research career in industry, foundations, or government. Doctoral students work closely with an adviser to create a program of study individualized around academic interests and career goals, culminating in a doctoral research dissertation. You do not need a Master's Degree to apply for the Doctoral Degree program.

Frequently Asked Questions about Social Studies at the Graduate Level

Graduate-Level Social Studies Education May Include

  • civic education
  • democracy education and democratic pedagogy
  • history education
  • Holocaust, genocide, and human rights education
  • media literacy and technology
  • global education
  • place and community
  • public issues and ethical reasoning
  • social sciences (e.g., economics, political science, sociology)
  • sustainability and ecological issues

Classes On-Campus or Online

We offer a number of graduate courses that include these social studies topics. Some are on-campus seminars; others are available online. It is possible for our residential graduate students to take most of our online courses and for students in our online program to take residential classes. Our graduate students are able to take intellectually diverse coursework—including some courses more broadly in Curriculum and Instruction (C&I), from Language, Culture, and Society (LCS), and possibly from across the College of Education (such as Educational Theory and Policy, Educational Psychology, or Learning Design and Technology) or even different University departments (such as History, Political Science, or Sociology).

Penn State’s Graduate Courses in Social Studies

Our Social Studies Faculty: Leaders in the Field

We encourage you to look at our faculty members and their teaching and research interests:

If you are interested in working with any of our faculty members, please call or email them at the contact information linked to their name above.

For more information on our online program, please see the Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State's World Campus.

For more information on how to apply to our Master's and Doctoral programs, please see Curriculum and Instruction's How to Apply and our Frequently Asked Questions.

If you need more help, please contact Dr. , Professor in Charge of Social Studies Education.