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.
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 30,780 History credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate2%592
- Associate8%2,327
- Bachelor's76%23,254
- Graduate15%4,607
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 48 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 4 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 2023-24, 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
- Lawyer (with JD)
- High School History Teacher
- Museum Curator / Archivist
- Editor / Journalist
- Foreign Service Officer
- Policy Analyst
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.
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.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, All Other | $136,550 | 106,700 | +4.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $64,580 | 66,200 | -1.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | $81,500 | 1,700 | -0.2% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Historians | $74,050 | 300 | +2.2% | Master's degree |
| Tour Guides and Escorts | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not 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?
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 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Liberty UniversityVA · 567
- Southern New Hampshire UniversityNH · 542
- Brigham Young University-IdahoID · 526
- American Public University SystemWV · 381
- Arizona State University Digital ImmersionAZ · 278
- Harvard UniversityMA · 235
- University of California-Los AngelesCA · 231
- Gettysburg CollegePA · 219
- Yale UniversityCT · 217
- Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY · 215
- University of Wisconsin-MadisonWI · 215
- University of California-Santa BarbaraCA · 183
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. 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.
Where History credentials were awarded
46 states have a distinct enough set of History colleges to be worth its own page.
- California173
- Pennsylvania82
- New York82
- Texas75
- Ohio57
- Massachusetts49
- North Carolina46
- Illinois44
- Georgia41
- Virginia39
- Indiana34
- Missouri32
- Tennessee32
- Michigan31
- Iowa30
- Minnesota27
- Florida25
- New Jersey25
- Wisconsin24
- South Carolina23
- Kentucky23
- Colorado22
- Alabama21
- Kansas21
- Maryland20
- Oklahoma19
- Louisiana18
- Mississippi18
- Arizona17
- Connecticut17
- Washington17
- Oregon17
- Arkansas16
- Nebraska14
- New Hampshire13
- Idaho10
- West Virginia10
- Utah10
- South Dakota8
- Rhode Island7
- Maine7
- North Dakota7
- Montana6
- New Mexico6
- Vermont5
- Hawaii5
Related majors
Political Science
Political Science studies governments, political behavior, and policy, preparing graduates for law school, public service, journalism, and policy research.
English & Literature
English develops critical reading, analytical writing, and rhetorical skill, a flexible major that feeds into law, publishing, education, marketing, and any field that values communication.
Philosophy
Philosophy develops rigorous reasoning, argument, and ethical analysis through the study of logic, knowledge, mind, and morality, building transferable skills used across law, policy, and writing.
Still deciding between History and something else?
These guides put Historyside 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.