The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

History (Teacher Certification), Bachelor of Arts

Program Overview

This program leads to a profession which requires an occupational license as defined under Texas Occupations Code 58.001 This requires that all applicants seeking to become licensed must undergo a criminal background check prior to licensure. Students in this program should check with the College of Education and P-16 Integration on the requirements for a criminal background check prior to student teaching.

As an integral part of a liberal arts education, history courses introduce students to different historical eras, diverse cultures, famous and ordinary women and men, and a variety of geographical settings. Our courses challenge students to think critically, express themselves clearly, and become informed and responsible citizens in an increasingly interconnected world. Students majoring or minoring in history may become teachers or seek employment in business or government. History is an excellent background for those who wish later to go to law school or enter journalism.

Admission requirements for this program beyond university admission requirements. 

  • Admission to the Teacher Education Program at the Office of Educator Preparation and Accountability is required for completion of teacher certification requirements with the undergraduate degree. All admission requirements are in accordance to Texas Administrative Code rules §227.10 and the HEA Title II accountability requirements. All applicants must meet the current certification requirements in effect at the time of application, regardless of the catalog year of degree plan.  For current admission requirements, application process and timeline visit the Office of Educator Preparation and Accountability admissions site

Progression requirements for this program. 

  • Teacher Education Program progression requirements include GPA, course grades, certification courses, benchmarks/key assessments and testing.  Admission to the Clinical Teaching Program is required for successful completion of the teacher education program. For current clinical teaching program admission, application process and timeline visit the Office of Educator Preparation Accountability clinical teaching site

Specific graduation requirements for this program beyond university bachelor’s degree requirements. 

  • A student graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History is required to demonstrate proficiency (beginning, intermediate or advanced) in a foreign language. Proficiency can be demonstrated by:  
  • Earning 6 credits of foreign language through successful completion of coursework
  • Earning 6 credits through a foreign language college credit exam (e.g., AP, CLEP, International Baccalaureate) 
  • Demonstrating proficiency by meeting the WebCAPE scores approved by the Department of Writing and Language Studies 
  • Demonstrating proficiency by an exam approved by the Department of Writing and Language Studies

 

Core Curriculum - 42 hours

The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculumas outlined below.

The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.

The courses listed below fulfill core curriculum and major requirements. Students who have completed a core curriculum category with courses other than those listed below will still be required to take the listed course(s) to meet major requirements.

040 Language, Philosophy and Culture - 3 hours

HIST 2321World History I

3

090 Integrative and Experiential Learning - 6 hours

HIST 2322World History II

3

Major Requirements - 39 hours

Required Courses - 9 hours

History Core

HIST 3300Historiography and Methods

3

HIST 3333Texas History

3

HIST 4397History Capstone for History Educators

3

Prescribed Electives - 30 hours

Certain courses below appear in more than one section of the degree plan. The courses and related semester credit hours can only be applied once to the degree.

United States History - 6 hours

Choose from:

HIST 3320Colonial America to 1763

3

HIST 3321The United States, Revolution, and the New Nation, 1763-1815

3

HIST 3322Rise of the American Nation, 1815-1848

3

HIST 3323Era of Sectional Conflict, 1848-1877

3

HIST 3324The Emergence of Modern America, 1877-1929

3

HIST 3325Twentieth Century America

3

HIST 3326Indians of North America

3

HIST 3327The American Military Experience

3

HIST 3328History of the American Presidency

3

HIST 3329American Legal History

3

HIST 3330The United States as a World Power

3

HIST 3331Women, Gender, and Sexuality in American History

3

HIST 3332Mexican-American History

3

HIST 3334History of the American West

3

HIST 3335American Environmental History

3

HIST 3336Spanish Borderlands to 1821

3

HIST 3338United States-Mexico Borderlands after 1821

3

HIST 3339Slavery in the Americas, 1492-1888

3

HIST 3382Asian American History, 1849 to 2001

3

HIST 4315Discovering the Rio Grande Valley

3

HIST 4323History of the Old South

3

HIST 4324History of the New South since 1877

3

HIST 4325The United States: War, Prosperity, and Depression, 1917-1945

3

HIST 4326The United States since 1945

3

HIST 4327History of the American Family and Childhood

3

HIST 4329Black History and Thought

3

HIST 4330Race and Ethnicity in America

3

HIST 4331Mexican-American Civil Rights

3

HIST 4332Chicano Movement

3

HIST 4333Food and Agricultural History

3

HIST 4392Special Topics in United States History

3

European History - 6 hours

Choose from:

HIST 3340Medieval Europe

3

HIST 3341Early Modern Europe

3

HIST 3342Revolutionary Europe, 1789-1850

3

HIST 3343Europe's Age of Imperialism, 1850-1919

3

HIST 3344Contemporary Europe, 1919 to the Present

3

HIST 3345History of England to 1688

3

HIST 3346History of England after 1688

3

HIST 3347History of Spain

3

HIST 3348Russian History

3

HIST 3349Women, Gender, and Sexuality in European History

3

HIST 3351History of Southeastern Europe since 1815

3

HIST 4339Ancient Greece and Rome

3

HIST 4342The Renaissance and Reformation, 1300-1650

3

HIST 4344Absolutism and Enlightenment in Europe, 1650-1789

3

HIST 4391Special Topics in European History

3

Latin American History - 3 hours

Choose from:

HIST 3361Colonial Latin America

3

HIST 3362Modern Latin America

3

HIST 3363Mexico from Pre-Conquest to the Present

3

HIST 4360Mexico's First Century as an Independent Republic

3

HIST 4361Contemporary Mexico

3

HIST 4362History of Mexican Culture

3

HIST 4363History of Mexican Cinema

3

HIST 4366The Caribbean and Central America

3

World History - 3 hours

Choose from:

HIST 3302World Environmental History

3

HIST 3306Great Discoveries in Archaeology and History

3

HIST 3307Women, Gender, and Sexuality in World History

3

HIST 4301Maritime Archaeology and History

3

HIST 4303Public Health in the Americas

3

HIST 4306History of the Cold War

3

HIST 4390Special Topics in World History

3

Asian/Middle Eastern History - 3 hours

Choose from:

HIST 3370Early Middle East History

3

HIST 3371Modern Middle Eastern History

3

HIST 3372History of East Asia to 1800

3

HIST 3374History of the Ottoman Empire

3

HIST 3375History of Modern Japan

3

HIST 3376History of Modern China

3

HIST 4394Special Topics in Asian and Middle Eastern History

3

Additional History Electives - 9 hours

Choose from additional advanced History (HIST) courses except HIST 3301.

Free Electives - hours will vary

Free electives credit hours required may vary to achieve the institutional minimum of 120 hours for a degree.

Teacher Certification - 27 hours

Area of Certification: History (7-12)

EDFR 2301Intercultural Context of Schooling

3

EDUC 3301The Teaching Profession and Student Learning in Contemporary Schools

3

EDUC 3302Knowledge of Student Development and Learning

3

EDUC 3304Instructional Planning and Assessment in Culturally Sustaining Classrooms

3

EDUC 3306Evidence-Based Teaching in Positive Learning Environments

3

EDUC 4306Implementing and Assessing Effective Secondary Content Pedagogy

3

READ 4305Disciplinary Literacy in the Classroom

3

EDUC 4611Student Teaching Secondary or All-Level

6

Advanced Minimum Credit Hours: 42

Total Credit Hours: 120