It might have been better to get your bachelor’s degree in a specific subject like English if you want to teach English. However, colleges you are considering going to for teaching certification will look at the classes (as well as their descriptions) and assess which classes will count and which won’t.

I’m in a non-degree licensure program and the branch of Indiana University that I go to has a Transition to Teaching program, which leads to licensure and almost to a Master’s degree (9 credits away). It’s very competitive, and since I missed the deadline and already have graduate credit, I figured I’d just do the licensure-only program. Some colleges have other programs that lead to a master’s and licensure (Findlay has it–I was in their program but with all the non-academic problems I had made me want to leave).

Some states now have a middle school only certification, and some allow you to be licensed for high school only (but will allow you to add middle school licensure for that subject if you student teach four weeks longer). If you live in Indiana or Ohio, I can give you more information, as I started my licensure program in Ohio, but will finish it in Indiana, after I complete student teaching. I’m only going for middle school licensure. If you end up going that route, usually (at least Indiana and Ohio require it), you’ll have to pick two content areas and have 24 to 30 credit hours in that area (as well as have specific classes).

Which subject(s) do you want to teach? It looks like some of your Social Science Courses will transfer towards your teaching certification, at least if you live in Indiana. In Indiana, you have to pick three areas of Social Studies (Government, Psychology, Sociology, History to name a few) you want to concentrate on.

EDIT: Cory had the right information for Social Studies.

However, it’s hard to find a job in Social Studies, unless you go to a state where they can’t find enough teachers. English is a little more in demand, but not much more.

Email me at ladyarlia at hotmail.com if you have questions. I’ll be glad to help you out!

There are a lot of programs that are specifically designed for people who have bachelors but are moving to teaching. At Indiana University (where I graduated with a social studies ed bachelors) you can try Transition to Teaching or Community of Teachers.

To be license in Indiana in social studies you need at least 18 credits in a primary area (government, for example) and 12 each in two other areas (psychology, history, etc). You may have some of these credits already – you will simply need to take some education courses and student teach.

To be licensed in Florida in social studies you need a bachelors and have passed the Florida Teacher Certification Exams in your subject areas. They also also a Intergrated license in which you can teach any core subject in middle school which may work well considering you have a similar degree.

English is in high demand and sadly, social studies is not. But if you have 18 graduate credits in a subject, you can teach at community colleges regardless of teacher certification.

http://site.educ.indiana.edu/sect2t/SecondaryTransitiontoTeachingHome/tabid/4509/Default.aspx

http://www.indiana.edu/~comteach/

Most states will not grant teacher certification to anyone who has not graduated from a college or university without a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, which means a person must take specific classes designed for the “educator”, and complete an “internship” program which involves “practice teaching” in their chosen field: Elementary, Middle School, or High School. Usually, this requires at least one semester of “interning” in a school chosen by your college/university. Sometimes, the “internship” requires two to three semesters of interning. Students are not paid for this work, although they often do the regular classroom work of the teacher they are interning under. Elementary, Middle School, and High School certification does not qualify a person to teach Early Childhood Education. Special courses are required for that certification. Some people who have degrees in Science and Math, who have not gone through “teacher training” may receive teaching credentials by a state simply because these are two disciplines of study that states have difficulty in filling with qualified Education graduates. Those who are considering a teaching career, need to stay in constant touch with their counselor, making sure they are taking the courses required to teach the course/grade level they are interested in.