College of Education, Department of Curriculum & Instruction Secondary Social Studies Education (M.A.) Master's with Initial Teacher Certification

You'll earn both a Master’s degree and secondary teaching certification within one calendar year. 

You'll complete the program with initial certification to teach in Kentucky, prepared to teach history, anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology to students in grades 8-12. 

Delivery Method: In-person

Credit Hours: 31 (one calendar year, full time)

Department of Curriculum & Instruction

Students in this degree program begin teaching from Day 1. This clinically-based learning environment helps students quickly acclimate to the day-to-day life of a classroom teacher with actual, hands-on experience. We believe the ideal learning environment combines theory with practice, and therefore the program is structured to maximize that synthesis.

You'll have opportunities to develop your own philosophy of teaching social studies, and will be able to participate in activities ranging from organizing a Global Talk interactive video program and a service project to designing lesson plans to teach in the fall and a unit to use in spring student teaching.

Upon graduation, students advance to Rank II status, which results in a pay increase for Kentucky teachers.

Meet our Faculty

If you plan to complete a University of Kentucky online program while living outside of Kentucky, you should check the Out-of-State Students page to determine if the University of Kentucky is authorized to provide this program in your state of residence. If you plan to use the degree to seek licensure, you should also determine if the degree meets the educational requirements for licensure in your state.

Learn more about:

• Application requirements
  • Applicants will be asked to submit: 
    • Resume/CV
    • Undergraduate transcripts
    • Personal statement related to teaching
    • Academic writing sample 
    • Contact information for 3 references
    • GRE or other test scores NOT REQUIRED
  • Note: Potential students must have an undergraduate degree with the equivalent of a major in a social studies discipline (e.g. history, political science, geography, economics, anthropology, psychology, etc.) and a minimum of 2.75 cumulative GPA or at least a 3.0 GPA over the last 30 undergraduate hours
  • Applicants will be contacted to schedule an admissions interview over Zoom
  • Go here to begin your application: https://gradschool.uky.edu/apply
  • For the “Plan of Study” section on the application, be sure to select:
    • “On Campus” à “Master’s Degree” à “Secondary Education”
  • If you have any questions, contact Dr. Ryan Crowley (ryan.crowley@uky.edu).
• Degree requirements
  • 31 credit hours across 3 semesters
    • Most students complete program in a Summer, Fall, then Spring sequence 
      • Summer semester
        • 9 credit hours (electives)
      • Fall semester
        • 11 credit hours (required courses) 
        • 200 hours of practicum hours in local high school social studies classrooms (placements provided by program)
      • Spring semester
        • 11 credit hours (required courses)
        • 70 days of student teaching in area high school social studies classroom (placement provided by program)
      • Program can be completed Fall, Spring, then Summer
  • During the spring semester, students will complete individual master’s exam project and sit for an oral defense of master’s exam with program faculty.
  • Note: To obtain teaching licensure, students will also have to complete certification paperwork and receive passing scores on the Praxis “Social Studies: Content Knowledge” and Praxis “Principles of Learning and Teaching” exams .

Visit the University of Kentucky catalog for more program details