Historian education requirements

Q: What job can you get with a history degree?

You can get a job as a journalist, teacher, or historian with a history degree. While completing a history program, your coursework will focus on different periods, places, and thematic areas. You will also develop strong writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills. These qualities can build a great foundation for many different career paths. Journalism offers a variety of specialized fields, and with a history background, you have perspective on a variety of topics. Also, the research and writing skills you acquired as a history major will be very useful in a journalism job. If you have your master's degree in history, you can also work as a teacher. Those with a history background tend to teach subjects like social studies, American history, or even economics. A master's degree allows you the opportunity to teach at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Another career option is historian. Typically, historians have at least a master's degree in history, while some have a Ph.D.. Gaining employment as a historian can be very competitive. For this reason, it is advised that prospective historians begin working in the field as soon as possible to gain experience.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a historian. Historians usually study history, business, or psychology. 76% of historians hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,822 real historian resumes to see exactly what historian education sections show.

The most common colleges for historians are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.

There are also many online historian courses to help get the education required to be a historian.

What education do you need to become a historian?

What degree do you need to be a historian?

The most common degree for historians is bachelor's degree, with 76% of historians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 8% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 76%

Master's, 8%

Associate, 8%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a historian?

You should major in history to become a historian. 16% of historians major in history. Other common majors for a historian include business and psychology.

History, 16%

Business, 11%

Psychology, 10%

Biology, 9%

Other Majors, 54%

Most common colleges for historians

Historians often get their degrees at University of California - Davis, University of Florida, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for historians in the US based on their resumes.

Historian common college	Percentages
University of California - Davis	8.94%
University of Florida	8.10%
Florida State University	6.98%
California State University - San Bernardino	6.42%
University of Texas at Austin	6.42%

Show more common historian colleges

Best majors for historians

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	History	16.4%
2	Business	10.9%
3	Psychology	9.8%
4	Biology	8.8%
5	Communication	7.3%

Show more common historian majors

Best colleges for historians

The best colleges for historians are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

A historian with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for historians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become historians.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

In-state tuition

$55,466

Enrollment

6,752

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for historians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for historians

The most affordable schools for historians are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for historians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for historians.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

7. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for historians

The hardest universities for historians to get into are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for historians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for historians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

5. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

10. Rice University

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for historians

The easiest schools for historians to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, bluefield college, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a historian without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for historians.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

Average historian salary by education level

Historians with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $65,473 annually. With a Master's degree, historians earn a median annual income of $62,267 compared to $52,200 for historians with an Bachelor's degree.

Historian education level	Historian salary
Master's Degree	$62,267
Bachelor's Degree	$52,200
Doctorate Degree	$65,473

Historian education FAQs

What job can you get with a history degree?

What is the best college for Historians?

Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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