Skip to main content

Social Sciences Education, Secondary

OBU’s Social Sciences Education program equips you with a solid foundation of knowledge and essential skills to become a social studies teacher. Our program offers a unique and holistic educational experience that blends academic excellence, faith integration, character development, and community engagement. This comprehensive preparation equips you to make a profound and positive impact on your future students and society as a whole.

Avery Hellmuth

Class of 2024

“My degree plan allows me to take classes in education and history without having to take on the extra hours of a double major, which has helped me graduate on time and balance being a student-athlete (volleyball). My relationships with professors have also been pivotal: they are some of my biggest cheerleaders.”

Benefits of OBU Social Sciences Education, Secondary Program

Faculty Mentors

At OBU, we take great pride in our faculty, who genuinely care about you as an individual. They are passionate about your success and will serve as role models, demonstrating the compassion and dedication needed to thrive in working with students and parents from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and regions worldwide.

Well-Equipped Graduates

With your degree from OBU, you'll be fully equipped to make a difference in the lives of young learners. Our comprehensive program emphasizes critical teaching skills, social studies expertise, and a faith-based approach to education. You'll develop a deep understanding of historical events, diverse cultures, and civic responsibilities, enabling you to foster a love for learning and a sense of global citizenship in your future students.

Incredible Education, Affordable Cost.

OBU provides a minimum $10,000 per year scholarship to every incoming first-time freshman and $8,000 to every incoming transfer student. And you could qualify for even more financial aid! Many of our students also receive money through federal Pell grants and OBU Bison Grants.

To get an estimate of what your cost to attend OBU might be, please check out our Net Price Calculator. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how affordable an OBU education really is. Especially considering the incredible academic quality, personal mentor relationships with faculty and staff, and strong Christian commitment you will experience at OBU. You won’t find an experience like this anywhere else!

Program Information

Job Opportunities and Outcomes

Our graduates are securing teaching positions across Oklahoma and throughout the country, with some even teaching internationally. Others are teaching subjects such as high school history and government, engaging in mission work, instructing English as a Second Language, or teaching in secondary (and higher) education settings. 

National Accreditation

The School of Education is nationally accredited through CAEP, the Council for Accreditation of Education Preparation. In addition, each licensure area is accredited through the state of Oklahoma. Graduates from our program are eligible to teach locally, nationally, and internationally. Faculty in the education program have a combined experience of over 100 years in public school education.  

Hands-on Instruction

The courses within the education program focus on learning the content, knowledge, and dispositions of an effective educator through hands-on and engaging instruction, alongside practical field experiences in the public school classroom. OBU’s teacher education program partners with districts all over the state, nation, and world to offer experiences with diverse K-12 students.  

Field Experiences

One of the many noted strengths of the OBU Education program is the amount of field experience/practicum time that is provided across the four years of the degree program. You will be asked to complete between 85-120 hours of observation and practicum experiences in local schools prior to student teaching. Many students even have the opportunity to compete a practicum in a virtual, online setting. Field experiences allow students to tutor children, teach small groups and whole classes, and practice differentiation and classroom management. Unique to OBU and a student favorite is the creation of an Interactive Children’s Museum over a topic of history and a fun-filled science discovery STEM day with hands-on learning for children.

Research

Through coursework, pre-service teachers are exposed to the latest research-based practices in education. Additionally, all education majors have the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive investigation of a research topic of their own interest. Pre-service teachers present about their topic to their peers, and some even go on to present their research to practicing teachers at educational conferences.

Equipment

OBU teacher education supports preservice teachers in understanding and utilizing latest educational technology such as Smartboards, iPads, learning management systems, and assistive technology. 

Internship Opportunities

Field experiences culminate in a 14-week internship of student teaching during your senior year. Candidates can student teach in a school of choice within 50 miles of OBU. Students can also choose to student teach abroad.

Student Organizations

Students are invited to participate in professional teacher education organizations, such as the Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC) and Student Professional Oklahoma Educators (SPOE), which enables them to network with other preservice and in-service educators across the state and nation. Students are also invited to travel to state and national conferences which offer professional development related to innovative, researched-based practices within the field of education.

Faith Integration

Through the coursework and field experience in the teacher education program at OBU, students learn first-hand how to share the love of Christ in the classroom. All children are created in the image of God, each with his own unique gifts and talents. The teacher education program focuses on celebrating the uniqueness and diversity within schools and classrooms. Pre-service teachers learn to focus on each child’s strengths to offer an engaging, rigorous curriculum while striving to meet all academic, social, cultural, and behavior needs to the best of their ability.

Program Options

Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE)

World-Class Faculty

OBU faculty are experts in their fields and will be with you every step of the way.

Dr. Elizabeth Justice

Dr. Elizabeth Justice

Chair, School of Education
Lawrence C. and Marion Harris Chair of Education
Associate Professor of Education
Co-Director, Master of Arts in Teaching and ACCESS Programs

Dr. Jeanne Akin

Dr. Jeanne Akin

Mary A. White Professor of Education

Annie Keehn

Annie Keehn

Assistant Professor of Education
Co-Director, Master of Arts in Teaching and ACCESS Programs

Dr. John Powell

Dr. John Powell

Professor of History

Dr. Sherri Raney

Dr. Sherri Raney

Professor of History and Political Science

Dr. Daniel Spillman

Dr. Daniel Spillman

Professor of History