What degrees do I need to become a high school history teacher?
It varies from state to state, but in the US you generally need a Bachelor’s degree in History and a teaching certificate. The first can be taken at pretty any 4-year college or university. An emphasis on US history is best. Some states offer higher salaries for people with Master’s degrees. Check out the pay scales for the school districts in which you’d like work and then do the math to see if the time and cost of getting that Master’s degree is worth it in terms of additional salary over your lifetime. The second can be taken at colleges that have a teaching certificate program or the district where you want to work may offer alternative certificate programs. The difference is that the alternate program usually puts you in the classroom under the mentoring of a senior teacher while you go to night/weekend school to get the required classes. The traditional program has you take the classes as part of your Bachelor degree plan but you have to spend a few semesters as a student teacher
