The best history programs develop research, writing, and analytical skills that transfer across careers in law, government, education, journalism, and business. Programs with strong archival resources, undergraduate research opportunities, and career advising produce graduates who compete effectively in the job market.
History is the degree that everyone's uncle has an opinion about. "What are you going to do with that?" is the question every history major learns to expect at family gatherings. The irony is that history graduates consistently demonstrate some of the strongest analytical writing, research, and critical thinking skills of any major, skills that employers across industries say they value but struggle to find.
The programs that serve history students best are the ones that develop these skills rigorously while also helping students understand how to articulate their value to employers, graduate schools, and professional programs. A history department that teaches you to write exceptional research papers but never helps you connect those skills to a career is only doing half its job.
Our Methodology
Research and archival opportunities. History is a research discipline. Programs with strong libraries, archival collections, and opportunities for undergraduate original research prepare students for graduate school and develop the investigative skills that transfer to careers in law, policy, and journalism.
Writing intensity. The best history programs require extensive writing across all levels. Programs where most assessment is through multiple-choice exams are not developing the skill that makes history graduates valuable.
Graduate school and professional program placement. Many history majors continue to law school, graduate school in history or related fields, or professional programs. Programs that track and support these outcomes provide better long-term value.
Net cost and career advising. History salaries vary enormously depending on career path. Programs that help students understand their options and plan accordingly, while keeping costs manageable, serve students better than prestigious programs that leave graduates with excessive debt and no career direction.
History is one of the best pre-law majors. Law school admissions correlate strongly with LSAT scores and GPA. History majors consistently score among the highest of any major on the LSAT because the skills, including close reading, argument analysis, and persuasive writing, overlap directly with what the exam tests. If you are considering law school, a history major at an affordable school may be a better strategy than a "pre-law" program at an expensive one.
Top History Programs
Yale University
Yale's history department is one of the most comprehensive in the world, with faculty covering virtually every geographic region and time period. The emphasis on primary source research begins early, and undergraduate students have access to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and Sterling Memorial Library collections. Senior seminars produce original research of publishable quality. Yale meets full demonstrated need with no loans.
University of Michigan
Michigan's history department is large enough to offer extraordinary breadth while maintaining small upper-division seminars. The Bentley Historical Library and Clements Library provide archival research opportunities on campus. The department's strength spans American, European, Asian, African, and Middle Eastern history. In-state tuition makes Michigan one of the best values for history education.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley's history department is among the most productive research departments in the country. The depth of faculty expertise across multiple fields and time periods is exceptional. The Bancroft Library is a nationally significant research archive. In-state UC tuition provides strong value for California residents, and the Bay Area's cultural institutions offer additional learning opportunities.
Princeton University
Princeton's history department emphasizes the senior thesis as the capstone of the undergraduate experience. Every history major writes an original, book-length research project under faculty supervision. This experience is unparalleled preparation for graduate school, law school, or any career requiring sustained analytical writing. Princeton's financial aid is generous, with no loans in the aid package.
University of Virginia
UVA's Corcoran Department of History combines strong faculty across multiple fields with a location that provides access to extraordinary historical resources. Charlottesville and the surrounding area are rich with archives, historical sites, and primary source materials. The department emphasizes writing and research from the first history course. Virginia in-state tuition is competitive.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Wisconsin's history department has particular strengths in labor history, social history, and the history of science and technology. The department's public history program is one of the best in the country for students interested in museum work, historic preservation, and public engagement with history. In-state tuition provides strong value.
Columbia University
Columbia's history department benefits from its New York City location, which provides access to the New York Public Library, the National Archives regional branch, and dozens of museums and cultural institutions. The department spans American, European, Asian, and Middle Eastern history. Financial aid has improved significantly, and the school meets full demonstrated need.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UNC's history department is one of the strongest in the South, with particular expertise in Southern history, African American history, and the early American period. The Southern Historical Collection in Wilson Library is a nationally significant archive. North Carolina in-state tuition makes UNC an excellent value for state residents.
Do not choose a history program based solely on the school's overall prestige. A mid-ranked university with a strong history department, good archival resources, and faculty who actively mentor undergraduates can provide a better history education than a top-ranked university where the history department is understaffed or where professors are too focused on graduate students to mentor undergrads.
What to Look For in a History Program
Archival and library resources. History students need access to primary sources. Programs near strong libraries, archives, and historical collections provide research opportunities that textbook-only programs cannot match.
Writing requirements. Look for programs that require research papers in multiple courses, not just the senior seminar. The more you write and receive feedback, the stronger your most marketable skill becomes.
Public history offerings. Programs that include museum studies, historic preservation, oral history, and digital humanities courses expand your career options beyond academia and traditional history careers.
Career advising. History departments that actively help students connect their skills to career paths, including law, government, nonprofit management, journalism, education, and business, serve students far better than those that only prepare students for graduate school in history.
Consider a double major or minor that complements history. History paired with a foreign language opens international career doors. History paired with data science or statistics positions you for the growing field of digital humanities. History paired with political science is strong preparation for law school or government careers. The analytical skills from history combined with technical skills from another field is a powerful combination.
Affordable Options Worth Considering
University of North Carolina system offers multiple campuses with strong history programs at very affordable in-state rates and access to significant archival collections.
University of Georgia has a strong history department at competitive in-state tuition, with particular strengths in Southern, Civil War, and civil rights history.
University of Texas at Austin combines a large, comprehensive history department with affordable in-state tuition and access to extensive archival resources including the Briscoe Center for American History.
University of Florida provides solid history education at one of the lowest in-state tuition rates for a major research university.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of historians to grow about 3% from 2023 to 20331. However, this narrow category does not capture the much larger job market for history graduates. Most history BAs work in fields where their research and writing skills are applied differently: law, education, government, journalism, nonprofit management, and corporate strategy all employ significant numbers of history graduates.
For a complete overview of the major, see our history degree guide and history careers. Students comparing history to related fields should read our history vs political science comparison. For salary data, see our history salary breakdown and the broader guide on is college worth it.
FAQ
What can you do with a history degree?
History graduates work in law (history is one of the top pre-law majors by LSAT score), education, government, journalism, museum and archival work, nonprofit management, publishing, corporate research, intelligence analysis, and public policy. The research, writing, and analytical skills developed in a history program transfer to virtually any field that values clear thinking and communication.
Is a history degree useless?
No, but it requires more active career planning than a professional degree like nursing or accounting. History does not lead to a single obvious career, which means you need to develop a plan for how you will use the skills the degree provides. Internships, double majors, and career advising help bridge the gap between the degree and employment.
Do history majors go to law school?
Many do, and they tend to do well. History majors consistently score among the highest of any major on the LSAT. The skills developed in history, including close reading, argument analysis, evidence evaluation, and persuasive writing, align closely with what law school and the legal profession require.
How much do history majors make?
Starting salaries vary enormously by career path. History teachers earn the median teacher salary in their state. History graduates who enter government or nonprofit work start around $40,000-$50,000. Those who go to law school earn starting lawyer salaries ($60,000-$190,000 depending on the type of practice). Museum and archival work pays modestly ($40,000-$55,000 to start). Mid-career earnings for history graduates who chose high-paying sectors are strong.
Is a history PhD worth it?
Only if your specific goal is to be a history professor or a senior research position that requires a PhD. The academic job market in history has been challenging for decades, with far more PhDs produced than tenure-track positions available. A PhD typically takes 6-8 years beyond the bachelor's degree and involves significant opportunity cost. If academia is not your goal, a master's degree or professional degree is a better investment.
What makes a strong history program?
Strong archival resources, writing-intensive coursework, faculty who actively mentor undergraduates, opportunities for original research, and career advising that connects history skills to multiple career paths. The best programs treat history as both an intellectual discipline and a set of transferable professional skills.
- History Degree Guide — Overview
- Is It Worth It?
- Career Paths
- Salary Data
- Requirements
- How Hard Is It?
- Internships
Footnotes
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). Occupational Outlook Handbook: Historians. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/historians.htm ↩
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National Center for Education Statistics. (2025). Digest of Education Statistics, 2024. U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/ ↩
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U.S. Department of Education. (2025). College Scorecard Data. https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ ↩