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History

Types of Degrees History Majors Are Earning

People majoring in History may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	9
Associate’s Degree	2,382
Bachelor’s Degree	23,368
Master’s Degree	4,457
Doctor’s Degree	773

What History Majors Need to Know

Coursework for History emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that History graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing History emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a History program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to History careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, History graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by History professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for History graduates include:

• History Teacher
• World History Teacher
• Economic History Teacher
• Adjunct History Instructor
• College Professor
• History Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• Historiography Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Russian History Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Jewish History Professor
• American History Professor
• Adjunct Art History Professor
• History Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to History graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	30.5%
Bachelor’s degree	29.1%
Master’s degree	24.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.1%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.1%
Some college courses	2.0%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%
Less than a high school diploma	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in History?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 42.7% women and 57.3% men among History graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	13,235	42.7%
Men	17,757	57.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of History graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	20,483	66.1%
Asian	1,128	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	5,098	16.4%
Black or African American	1,219	3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	104	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	38	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,297	4.2%
Race Unknown	966	3.1%
International Students	659	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do History Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of History graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$33,609
4 years	$45,509
5 years	$52,530

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,530 — roughly 56% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online History Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for History. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	49	20
Bachelor’s	71	52
Master’s	46	27
Doctoral (Research)	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in History Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, History graduates earn a median of $45,509 four years after completion — roughly 20% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.