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History instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a history instructor. History instructors usually study history, political science, or fine arts. 59% of history instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 896 real history instructor resumes to see exactly what history instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for history instructors are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.
There are also many online history instructor courses to help get the education required to be a history instructor.
What education do you need to become a history instructor?
What degree do you need to be a history instructor?
- Bachelor's, 59%
- Master's, 30%
- Doctorate, 6%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a history instructor?
Most common colleges for history instructors
| History instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Florida State University | 7.77% |
| Eastern Michigan University | 6.80% |
| University of Florida | 6.80% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 6.80% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 5.83% |
Best majors for history instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | History | 39.8% |
| 2 | Political Science | 7.9% |
| 3 | Fine Arts | 7.4% |
| 4 | Education | 6.0% |
| 5 | English | 4.4% |
Best colleges for history instructors
The best colleges for history instructors are Harvard University, Rice University, and Brown University.
A history instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for history instructors. 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 history instructors.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
3. Rice University
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$47,350
Enrollment
3,962
4. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
In-state tuition
$55,466
Enrollment
6,752
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$53,391
Enrollment
8,568
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
20 best online courses for history instructors
Advertising disclosure
1. American History Through Baseball
This specialization is intended for those interested in sports marketing, sports administration, the MLB, and American culture & globalization. It is highly beneficial to those interested in American history and fans of baseball. Throughout the four courses, learners will track American history and baseball history side-by-side...
2. Ukraine: History, Culture and Identities
Explore the history, culture and society of the people of Ukraine from the Middle Ages to the present in this introductory course developed by the Ukrainian Institute, educational studio EdEra, and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and offered on Coursera in cooperation with the University of Washington. The culture and identities of Ukrainian people have existed in this region for more than a thousand years. Like most Eastern European countries, Ukraine is a rather young country —...
3. Art History Prehistory to the Renaissance
This is an actual college level course that is taught at several accredited colleges...
4. US / United States History - Prehistory to Reconstruction
Uncover the political and social roots of the U.S. with this comprehensive guide to Early American History...
5. American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice
Discover what shapes how we talk about schools today by exploring the history of U.S. education reform. Engage with the main actors, key decisions, and major turning points in this history. See how social forces drive reform. Learn about how the critical tensions embedded in U.S. education policy and practice apply to schools nationally, globally— and where you live...
6. History of Mental Illness
Our lexicon of mental illness is immense: There currently are hundreds of classified disorders and an extensive assortment of medications and therapies. This course explores the history of this productive science -- its discoveries, classifications, and treatments of psychiatric distress. The excursion begins with a general introduction and proceeds to explore 4 kinds of mental illness: neurasthenia, depression, attention deficits (ADD/ADHD), and narcissism. Each kind is examined in terms of...
7. Art History Renaissance to 20th Century
This is an actual college level course that is taught at several accredited colleges...
8. Lectures on Greek History and Culture
A series of lectures for beginners in Greek history, culture, and philosophy...
9. A Brief History of Human Spaceflight
This course provides a view of the history of spaceflight, from early writings telling of human's fascination of space through the early Russian and American space stations. Developed as an interesting and entertaining slice of space history that is accessible to anyone with an interest in human spaceflight...
10. The Modern World, Part Two: Global History since 1910
This is a survey of modern history from a global perspective. Part Two begins early in the twentieth century, as older ways of doing things and habits of thought give way. What follows is an era of cataclysmic struggles over what ideas and institutions will take their place. The course concludes in the present day, as communities everywhere are transitioning into a new era of world history. Again we work hard to grasp what is happening and ask: Why? Again we are drawn to pivotal choices made at...
11. The Constitution and American Government
History, Government, and Civics in the United States...
12. The Complete History of Music, COMPLETE: Parts 1, 2, and 3
The origins of Western music taught through examples, conversation, and context...
13. History of Rock, Part One
This course, part 1 of a 2-course sequence, examines the history of rock, primarily as it unfolded in the United States, from the days before rock (pre-1955) to the end of the 1960s. This course covers the music of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and many more artists, with an emphasis both on cultural context and on the music itself. We will also explore how developments in the music business and in technology helped...
14. Race and Cultural Diversity in American Life and History
Learners will deepen their understanding and appreciation of ways in which race, ethnicity and cultural diversity have shaped American institutions, ideology, law, and social relationships from the colonial era to the present. Race and ethnicity are ideological and cultural categories that include all groups and individuals. Hence, this course is designed in significant part to take a broad look at the ideology of race and cultural diversity in America’s past and present. The primary focus is...
15. American Sign Language Basics
Learn how to talk with your hands. American Sign Language is fun and useful...
16. ASL First 120 Basic Signs American Sign Language
Learn, practice, review, and master 120 fundamental signs in American Sign Language (ASL)...
17. Big History - From the Big Bang until Today
Welcome to this Big History course! In this course, renowned scientists and scholars from the University of Amsterdam and beyond will take you on a journey from the Big Bang until today while addressing key questions in their fields. After completing this journey you will have developed a better understanding of how you and everything around you became the way they are today. You will also have gained an understanding of the underlying mechanisms that have helped shape the history of everything...
18. Activism in Sports and Culture
Sports have become an ever-present reflection of American culture, and an important symbol of the divisions and alliances in our society. Sports and political change walk hand in hand in America. The way that athletes and institutions deal with questions of race, economic hardship, nationalism, and political ties have become central to the way that we understand ourselves and our society. And yet, there are those who would prefer their sports free of controversy and opinion. Dedicated athletes,...
19. Understanding Korean Politics
This course will select six most outstanding issues in contemporary Korean politics and will engage in an in-depth, interactive inquiry of those issue. They include Korean politics in history, institutional setting of Korean politics, and dynamics of political culture in Korea, profiles of political leadership, myth and reality of the developmental state and the Korean economic miracle, and debates on Korean unification. The course will expose students to contending theories and empirical...
20. Religion and Thought in Modern China: the Song, Jin, and Yuan
This sequence of four courses will propose a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic). The focus will be on the moments of paradigm shift from one mode of rationality to another. For each of these moments, cultural facts and artifacts—thought, literature, ritual—will be examined in relationship to changing social, political, and economic systems. The first two courses...
Top 10 most affordable universities for history instructors
The most affordable schools for history instructors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, city college of new york of the city university of new york, the, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for history instructors 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 history instructors.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. 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
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
7. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
9. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
10. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for history instructors
The hardest universities for history instructors to get into are Harvard University, Rice University, and Brown University.
Some great schools for history instructors 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 history instructors 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
5%
SAT average
1,520
2. Rice University
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
9. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for history instructors
The easiest schools for history instructors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a history instructor 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 history instructors.
1. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
4. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average history instructor salary by education level
| History instructor education level | History instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $52,492 |
| Doctorate Degree | $60,538 |
History instructor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025