• Social studies education requires dedication and innovation.teacher image by Twilight Dragon from Fotolia.com
  
  Teaching social studies can be a challenging task. Social studies teachers must be able to show students how the study of history, geography and other social science disciplines are relevant to their own lives. The top colleges in the nation offering education degrees offer a wide variety of different degree options and interdisciplinary studies as part of their education curriculum.
  
  

Vanderbilt University

• The nation's highest rated education program is found in Nashville at Vanderbilt University. The Peabody College of Education and Human Development is considered to be the best education department in the nation. This is evidenced by its 2010 "U.S. News & World Report" No. 1 ranking. Vanderbilt offers a social studies education emphasis as part of its secondary education undergraduate major. The major prepares students for licensure to teach grades seven to 12. The College of Arts and Sciences at Vanderbilt requires 27 to 36 hours of study in the major area of course study by students. Social studies emphases include studies in history, economics, political science, psychology and sociology.
  
  Vanderbilt University
  Peabody College of Education and Human Development
  PO Box 327
  Nashville, TN 37203-9418
  615-322-8410
  peabody.vanderbilt.edu
  
  

Teacher's College, Columbia University

• Teacher's College at Columbia University in New York is second only to Vanderbilt, according to the 2010 "U.S. News & World Report" rankings. The program at Teacher's College is similar to the program at Vanderbilt in its combining of history and the social sciences to compose the core of its curriculum. In particular, the program is designed to produce teachers that are well-suited to teach in both an urban and suburban setting. By emphasizing curriculum and instruction for students of diverse backgrounds, Teacher's College prepares students for nearly any setting. One way in which the Columbia program differs from Vanderbilt is that the Columbia program is for graduate students pursuing one of several degrees: the master of arts, master of education, doctor of education and the Ph.D. courses emphasize studies in areas such as world history and geography, modern Europe, social studies teaching, American history and geography, East Asian studies, the U.S. Constitution, women of the world and economics.
  
  Teachers College
  Columbia University
  525 W. 120th Street
  New York, NY 10027
  212-678-3710
  tc.columbia.edu
  
  

University of Oregon

• The University of Oregon is also one of the nation's top schools for education. Oregon ranked fifth among all programs nationwide in 2010. Above Oregon on the list were both Stanford and Harvard. However, both programs offer a unique approach to education that is multidisciplinary in its approach and not easily classified by discipline. Oregon's program offers programs leading to licensure in middle and secondary education schools in the field of social studies. At the undergraduate level students can pursue the bachelor of arts, bachelor of education and bachelor of science degrees. Graduate students can pursue a master of education.
  
  University of Oregon
  College of Education
  1215 University of Oregon
  Eugene, OR 97403-1215
  541-346-3201
  education.uoregon.edu