2023 Best Value History Master's Degree Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best History Master's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 32,731 people earned a degree or certificate in history, making the major the #23 most popular in the United States.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Value History Master's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 255 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for history students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in History
Our 2023 rankings named Ashland University the best value school in the United States for history students working on their master’s degree. Ashland is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Ashland.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Ashland are $6,972 per year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Public University System. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at American Military University are $7,050 per year.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Arizona State University - Skysong is a great value for history students working on their master’s degree. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale.
ASU - Skysong graduate students pay an average of $9,982 in tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Minnesota State University - Mankato helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value history schools in the United States. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the city of Mankato.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 per year.
Minnesota State Mankato also claimed a spot on our Best History Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Westfield State University is a great value for history students working on their master’s degree. Westfield is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Westfield.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Westfield are $6,696 per year.
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Illinois State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for history students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Illinois State graduate students pay an average of $11,773 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Illinois State also is in the top 20% of our Best History Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
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Worcester State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Worcester, Worcester State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Worcester State are $5,796 a year.
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With a ranking of #8, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for history students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 a year.
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Salisbury University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Salisbury is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Salisbury.
Salisbury graduate students pay an average of $15,765 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Salisbury also did well on our Best History Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well on this year’s best value schools for history students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNK are $14,982 a year.
UNK also claimed a spot on our Best History Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Fitchburg State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for history students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the suburb of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Fitchburg State graduate students pay an average of $6,012 in tuition and fees each year.
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Northern Illinois University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at NIU are $11,390 per year.
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Citadel Military College of South Carolina did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for history students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Charleston, The Citadel is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at The Citadel are $18,540 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, The Citadel is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best History Master’s Degree Schools list.
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With a ranking of #14, Providence College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for history students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Providence, Providence is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Providence are $9,750 per year.
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Western Illinois University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. WIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at WIU are $12,182 a year.
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Tarleton State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Tarleton is a large public school located in the remote town of Stephenville.
Tarleton graduate students pay an average of $15,031 in tuition and fees each year.
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Liberty University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 per year.
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Millersville University of Pennsylvania came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Millersville is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Millersville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Millersville are $16,794 per year.
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East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. East Stroudsburg University is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of East Stroudsburg.
East Stroudsburg University graduate students pay an average of $16,728 in tuition and fees each year.
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Texas A&M University - Commerce did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for history students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the town of Commerce, Texas A&M Commerce is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Texas A&M Commerce graduate students pay an average of $14,682 in tuition and fees each year.
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Sam Houston State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. SHSU is a very large public school located in the town of Huntsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SHSU are $16,009 a year.
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Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. SRU is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.
SRU graduate students pay an average of $18,216 in tuition and fees each year.
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Texas Woman’s University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Denton, TWU is a public college with a large student population.
TWU graduate students pay an average of $15,048 in tuition and fees each year.
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Rowan University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree history programs. Located in the suburb of Glassboro, Rowan is a public school with a large student population.
Rowan graduate students pay an average of $16,146 in tuition and fees each year.
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West Chester University of Pennsylvania came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at WCUPA are $16,758 per year.
Read full report on History at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great value schools for History students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value History Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| 40 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock, AR |
| 41 | Salem State University | Salem, MA |
| 42 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
| 43 | The University of Texas at Tyler | Tyler, TX |
| 44 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI |
| 45 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 46 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
| 47 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 48 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 49 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 49 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 51 | University of North Alabama | Florence, AL |
History by Region
View the Best Value History Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More History Rankings
History Related Majors for History
History Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| History | 32,731 |
Most Popular Majors Related to History
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Abraham Ortelius.
More about our data sources and methodologies.