History-Social Science Credential Program

Dr. Joel J. Orth
jorth@calpoly.edu
History-Social Science Credential Program Advisor

Welcome to Cal Poly History-social science! The world needs good HSS teachers! This is a marvelously broad field, and at the minimum, encompasses history, government, geography, and economics. These disciplines are central to understanding ourselves and the world, and hold the potential of humanizing and liberating us in ways presented by few other areas of school curriculum. As a social studies teacher it becomes your profession to help students discover the discipline’s insights, skills, and imperfections. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo offers a comprehensive program in teacher preparation which includes a series of courses in the School of Education (SOE). This coursework is integrated with a strong program of field experience as a student teacher, supervised by academic staff in the History Department.

Completing the program earns you a Preliminary Single Subject Teaching Credential that qualifies you to teach full-time in any public secondary school in California. The actual credential is issued by a state agency, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC), based upon a recommendation from Cal Poly. More information on the overall Single Subject Teaching Credential program is available at the College of Education Student Information Center (Building 02, Room 120).

It is important that you meet with Dr. Orth as early as possible in your career at Cal Poly or in the application process. Call (805-756-2963), email (jorth@calpoly.edu), or stop by my office (47-25L). Information bulletins are also available in the history department office (47-27).

To view the application process, deadlines, and other material online, please visit the School of Education website at: http://soe.calpoly.edu