In addition to the University’s general education and other graduation requirements, students must complete the following courses. Some supporting course requirements can also fulfill general education requirements. At least 24 credits must be taken at Rockford University of which at least 18 credits, including Senior Seminar, must be at the 300- or 400-level.
For students desiring to teach at the high school (secondary) level, the state of Illinois requires a content area major and secondary education minor. Licensure in history prepares a student to teach history, government, anthropology/sociology, economics, psychology, and geography at the introductory level, and history at the honors and advanced placement (AP) level. Requirements for the major are augmented by coursework in the additional fields required for social science teaching.
Required Core Courses (36 credits)
The following two courses
| HIST 107 | World History I: to 1500 C.E. | 3 |
| HIST 108 | World History II: From 1450 to Present | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
One of the following three courses
| HIST 110 | Creation of the United States: 1600-1865 | 3 |
| HIST 111 | Evolution of the United States 1865-1945 | 3 |
| HIST 112 | Modern America since 1945 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
All of the following courses
| HIST 295 | Historical Theory & Methods Seminar | 3 |
| HIST 495 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| One additional United States history course | 3 |
| One European history course | 3 |
| One additional non-western history course | 3 |
| Additional History courses | 12 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 27 |
Required Supporting Courses (12-15 credits)
One of the following three options
| MATH 223 | Beginning Statistics | 3 |
| MATH 224 | Elements of Statistics | 4 |
| Two Semesters of foreign language | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3-6 |
All of the following courses
| INST 115 | World Regional Geography | 3 |
| ECON 102 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| POLS 102 | American Government | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9 |
Required Licensure Courses (9 credits)
| PSYC 100 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SOCI 150 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SOCI 260 | Qualitative Social Science Methods | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9 |
Plus the Secondary Education Minor (39+ credits)