History · California

California colleges that awarded History credentials

173 colleges in California reported conferring History credentials to the federal IPEDS collection in 2023-24, and every one of them also awarded in the year before. 173 awarded a degree. That is a record of credentials already awarded, not confirmation that a program is currently admitting.

Colleges and what they awarded

Largest first by credentials conferred in 2023-24. That order measures the size of the graduating class and nothing else: it is not a ranking, and the largest entry is often a certificate provider rather than the strongest degree program. The credential is labelled on every row for exactly that reason.

Colleges in California that conferred History credentials in 2023-24, with the number awarded and whether any was a degree.
CollegeCredentials awardedHighest level
University of California-Los Angeles231Degree
University of California-Santa Barbara183Degree
California State University-Fullerton159Degree
California State University-Sacramento156Degree
University of California-Berkeley154Degree
California State University-Long Beach142Degree
University of California-Davis128Degree
California State University-San Bernardino121Degree
University of California-Riverside120Degree
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona106Degree
San Diego State University106Degree
Bakersfield College103Degree
University of California-Santa Cruz102Degree
California State University-Fresno100Degree
University of Southern California99Degree
University of California-Irvine93Degree
University of California-San Diego91Degree
California State University-Northridge81Degree
California State University-San Marcos78Degree
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo69Degree
California State University-Los Angeles67Degree
California State University-Bakersfield63Degree
San Francisco State University59Degree
Santa Monica College59Degree
San Jose State University57Degree
California State University-Stanislaus56Degree
California State University-East Bay45Degree
El Camino Community College District45Degree
Fullerton College45Degree
Saddleback College43Degree
California State University-Chico41Degree
California State University-Channel Islands40Degree
California State University-Dominguez Hills40Degree
Sonoma State University40Degree
Mt San Jacinto Community College District38Degree
Stanford University38Degree
Pasadena City College36Degree
Riverside City College36Degree
Mt San Antonio College34Degree
Long Beach City College33Degree
Grossmont College32Degree
College of the Sequoias31Degree
Fresno City College31Degree
Chaffey College30Degree
Merced College30Degree
College of the Canyons29Degree
Los Angeles Pierce College29Degree
Moorpark College28Degree
Sierra College28Degree
Crafton Hills College26Degree
American River College25Degree
Cerritos College25Degree
University of California-Merced25Degree
Victor Valley College25Degree
Ventura College24Degree
Santa Rosa Junior College22Degree
Ashford University21Degree
Golden West College21Degree
Santa Ana College21Degree
Yuba College21Degree

Showing the 60 largest of 173.

Looking for History programs in California? This page lists every college that reported awarding History credentials to the federal government in 2023-24 — 173 of them — with the credential level each one awarded. That is a record of credentials conferred, not a confirmation that a college is currently admitting students, so confirm current availability with the college before it changes where you apply.

How much of this field is in California

Credentials awarded
4,920
Share of U.S. total
16%
Colleges awarding it
173
Awarding a degree
173

California colleges conferred 4,920 History credentials in 2023-24, which is 16% of the 30,780 conferred across the 51 U.S. jurisdictions reporting any. Of the 173 colleges here, every one awarded a degree. These counts measure the size of graduating classes, not program quality, and not how many students are currently enrolled.

What level those credentials were

  • Certificates<1%1
  • Associate34%1,685
  • Bachelor's59%2,890
  • Graduate7%344

Most History credentials awarded in California were bachelor's degrees. That is 17 percentage points less weighted toward bachelor's degrees than the field nationally, where they are 76% of credentials. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and the level a program awards is set by the program rather than by the student.

We measured how much this varies nationwide, and for most fields the credential level is set by the field rather than the state: is your major a certificate or a degree?

How concentrated it is. The single college with the largest reported graduating class in this field accounted for 5% of California’s History credentials. Activity is spread across several institutions rather than sitting with one.

What these California colleges cost

Median net price across the 131 of these 173 colleges that report it, by family income. Net price is what students receiving federal aid actually paid for the WHOLE college after grants and scholarships, so it is not the price of a History program specifically, and not a quote for any family.

0-30k
$6,575
30-48k
$7,246
48-75k
$9,293
75-110k
$13,561
110k+
$15,250

By the kind of college

The figure above averages very different institutions together. Split by federal sector, for a family earning under $30,000:

Median net price for a family earning under $30,000, by kind of college, among California colleges that reported awarding Historycredentials.
Kind of collegeCollegesMedian net price
Public two-year60$3,556
Public four-year39$6,485
Private32$22,149

Sector is the federal classification (IPEDS ICLEVEL and CONTROL). Private covers both nonprofit and for-profit colleges, which CampusPin does not split here because the for-profit sample in a single state is usually too small to publish a median. Each row needs at least five colleges reporting net price, so a sector with fewer is left out rather than estimated.

A family earning under $30,000 paid a median of $6,575 at these colleges, against $15,250 for a family earning over $110,000. Individual colleges vary widely around these medians. See every California college by income band.

What this evidence does and does not prove

This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.

How this list was built

From the U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions collection, matched to each college on its exact federal program classification. A college appears only if it conferred credentials in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, which is what separates a running program from one that has already closed.

This page exists because its list of colleges is materially different from that of every closely related field in California — the fields a reader could otherwise mistake it for, such as two engineering disciplines, or nursing and practical nursing. Where a related field resolves to the same colleges, the second page would be the first one with its title changed, and CampusPin does not publish it. Sharing colleges with an unrelated field is different, and not a reason to withhold the page: in most states the same colleges award business, psychology and biology alike, which says something about the colleges rather than about the fields. We measured exactly how often that happens, and published the result: does choosing a major narrow your college list?

What History graduates go on to do

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with History, ordered by projected annual openings. National figures: openings and pay do not vary by where you studied, and the crosswalk describes related fields rather than a required or guaranteed path.

Occupations associated with History, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, and the education most entrants hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrMost entrants hold
Managers, All Other$136,550106,700Bachelor's degree
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$64,58066,200Bachelor's degree
History Teachers, Postsecondary$81,5001,700Doctoral or professional degree
Historians$74,050300Master's degree
Tour Guides and EscortsNot reportedNot reportedNot reported

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). “Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already in the occupation, not a legal requirement, an admission rule, or a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

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