The Master of Arts in Teaching in Social Studies Education is a 32-credit-hour program designed to prepare and support social studies educators in the field. The program develops Relay students to become culturally responsive and inclusive social studies educators through an intentional, yet flexible, pathway composed of Foundations courses, Social Studies Content Pedagogy courses, Clinical Practice courses, and a selection of Flex courses. 

In their Foundations courses, Relay students in the Social Studies program will learn to establish culturally responsive and inclusive classrooms through systems for instructional planning, teaching multilingual learners, teaching exceptional learners, and community engagement. 

Social Studies Content Pedagogy courses integrate learning from Foundations courses with a content focus on internalizing social studies standards and curriculum, facilitating historical discourse, and guiding students through inquiry-based learning that leads to informed social action. Relay students will explore research-based teaching practices and discipline-specific historical thinking and literacy skills that will prepare them to teach across social studies disciplines, such as history, civics, economics, and geography. Relay students will also develop systems for data-informed cycles of assessing, planning, teaching, and reflecting to meet the diverse needs of all students.  

The program culminates in a capstone project in which graduate students demonstrate the impact of their practice on social studies students’ outcomes including academic progress, social-emotional development, and student experience.
 

Academic Plans 

Relay’s programs are tailored to local contexts and are designed to meet educational requirements for educator certification/licensure in multiple states; therefore, academic plans for each program vary by state and clinical experience pathway (e.g., Resident/non-Resident). State- and program-specific academic plans for all program offerings described in this catalog may be accessed on the Academic Plans site. Students are provided with a detailed course schedule at orientation.