History major

History: courses, careers, and where to study

History trains graduates in research, evidence, and argument, feeding into law, education, museums, government, and any field that values long-form analytical writing.

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in History earn a median $50,680 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $36,330 to $66,736 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college

A History major covers a range of geographical and chronological fields, typically requiring a U.S. survey, a non-U.S. survey, methods, and a senior thesis. Programs emphasize primary-source research, archival work, and historiography. The major produces graduates who can synthesize large evidence bodies and write at length, both rare and valuable skills.

History pairs naturally with Pre-Law (top-3 LSAT-scoring major), Education, Political Science, or Foreign Languages. Graduates work in law, museums and archives, K–12 and higher-education teaching, journalism, government, and consulting.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, History maps to CIP 54.0101, History, General, within the HISTORY family. The official definition:

A program that focuses on the general study and interpretation of the past, including the gathering, recording, synthesizing and criticizing of evidence and theories about past events. Includes instruction in historiography; historical research methods; studies of specific periods, issues and cultures; and applications to areas such as historic preservation, public policy, and records administration.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential History is awarded as

Of the 31,232 History credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:

  • Certificate: 3%, 840 credentials.
  • Associate: 7%, 2,342 credentials.
  • Bachelor's: 75%, 23,345 credentials.
  • Graduate: 15%, 4,705 credentials.

This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 48 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 3 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • Survey courses across U.S., European, and world history
  • Historical methods and historiography
  • Primary-source research and archival skills
  • Field-specific advanced seminars
  • Senior research thesis
  • A foreign language (often required for graduate-bound students)

Typical careers

Typical salary range: $42,000–$60,000 early-careerRanges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

How much do History graduates earn?

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in History earn a median $50,680 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $36,330 to $66,736 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

National median earnings four years after graduating for History, by credential
CredentialNational medianMiddle half of programs
Bachelor's$50,680$36,330 to $66,736
Master's$55,360$40,544 to $73,546

Compare History programs in your state

Highest-earning bachelor's History programs

Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: History. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with History, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with History by the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
Managers, All Other$136,550106,700+4.5%Bachelor's degree
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,58066,200-1.6%Bachelor's degree
History Teachers, Postsecondary$81,5001,700-0.2%Doctoral or professional degree
Historians$74,050300+2.2%Master's degree
Tour Guides and EscortsNot reportedNot reportedNot reportedNot reported

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 4 of these 5 occupations report a median wage.

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying History does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

Before you commit to a History major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific History program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the History department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Most History programs are covered by their institution's regional accreditation; specialized programmatic accreditation is less common in this field. Confirm any field-specific accreditation or licensure that matters for your goals.
Degree level & graduate study: Many History careers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a History program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most History credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search History schools

Where History credentials were awarded

46 states have a distinct enough set of History colleges to be worth its own page.

History by state

Every History program with its own CampusPin page

118 programs in 34 states, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.

History programs in Alabama, 1 program
History programs in Arizona, 3 programs
History programs in Arkansas, 1 program
History programs in California, 20 programs
History programs in Colorado, 3 programs
History programs in Connecticut, 1 program
History programs in Delaware, 1 program
History programs in Florida, 5 programs
History programs in Georgia, 3 programs
History programs in Illinois, 2 programs
History programs in Iowa, 2 programs
History programs in Kentucky, 3 programs
History programs in Louisiana, 1 program
History programs in Maryland, 2 programs
History programs in Massachusetts, 4 programs
History programs in Michigan, 2 programs
History programs in Minnesota, 1 program
History programs in Missouri, 1 program
History programs in New Hampshire, 2 programs
History programs in New Jersey, 4 programs
History programs in New York, 7 programs
History programs in North Carolina, 4 programs
History programs in Ohio, 3 programs
History programs in Oregon, 2 programs
History programs in Pennsylvania, 5 programs
History programs in Rhode Island, 1 program
History programs in South Carolina, 3 programs
History programs in Tennessee, 4 programs
History programs in Texas, 11 programs
History programs in Utah, 2 programs
History programs in Virginia, 8 programs
History programs in Washington, 3 programs
History programs in West Virginia, 1 program
History programs in Wisconsin, 2 programs

Related majors

Still deciding between History and something else?

These guides put History side by side with the major it is most often confused with, using the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk to show where the two actually lead.

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a History degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

Explore Education & Library careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

Explore Management careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single History degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a History path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.