What is a history professor and how to become one

Q: How hard is it to become a history professor?

It is relatively difficult to become a history professor. The difficulty comes in the amount of time and the number of open opportunities. To become a history professor, you must first obtain your undergraduate degree, usually in a history-related field. You are then typically required to continue your education up to a master's level.

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Alex Holte PhD

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a history professor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $46.5 an hour? That's $96,725 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 159,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a history professor?

Alex Holte PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychology, Website

My advice for someone new to the field of academia is to learn time management skills early and learn what type of service work you find interesting and would like to contribute to. From there, learn how to say “no” to opportunities that may not align with your goals as well. I feel a lot of new professors tend to find the need to be involved in everything, which can result in burning out later in their career.

ScoreHistory ProfessorUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $96,725

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.7

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 11.32%

Black or African American 7.04%

Hispanic or Latino 10.04%

Unknown 4.92%

White 66.40%

Gender

female 31.62%

male 68.38%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

4.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

History professor career paths

Key steps to become a history professor

Explore history professor education requirements
Most common history professor degrees
Bachelor's
45.5 %
Master's
39.4 %
Doctorate
9.1 %
Start to develop specific history professor skills
Skills Percentages
Philosophy 25.65%
Classroom Management 13.46%
Syllabus 12.93%
American History 11.87%
Learning Materials 10.68%
Show more
Research history professor duties and responsibilities
- Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
- Experiment with different surface chemistry to improve quality of yields -participate in poster session and presentation to faculty and graduate students.
- Collaborate with faculty and staff locally and nationally to obtain CEA accreditation.
Prepare your history professor resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your history professor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a history professor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable history professor resume templates
Build a professional history professor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your history professor resume.
Apply for history professor jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a history professor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
2. Consult your professional network
3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
4. Watch out for job scams

Skills	Percentages
Philosophy	25.65%
Classroom Management	13.46%
Syllabus	12.93%
American History	11.87%
Learning Materials	10.68%

How did you land your first history professor job

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Average history professor salary

The average history professor salary in the United States is $96,725 per year or $47 per hour. History professor salaries range between $46,000 and $200,000 per year.

Average history professor salary

$96,725 Yearly

$46.50 hourly

More history professor salary info

What am I worth?

How do history professors rate their job?

History professor FAQs

How hard is it to become a history professor?

Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library 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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Updated January 8, 2025

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What is a history professor and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a history professor?

History professor career paths

Key steps to become a history professor

Explore history professor education requirements

Most common history professor degrees

Start to develop specific history professor skills

Research history professor duties and responsibilities

Prepare your history professor resume

Choose from 10+ customizable history professor resume templates

Apply for history professor jobs

How did you land your first history professor job

Average history professor salary

How do history professors rate their job?

History professor FAQs

How hard is it to become a history professor?

Search for history professor jobs