Doctoral Degree In History
A Doctor of Philosophy in History is a 3-7 year program intended for students who wish to become history professors and/or pursue high-level research. It is the highest academic qualification one can achieve. Unless you enroll in a combined masters/PhD program, you will be required to earn a masters degree before you can apply.
Sample Coursework
In the first few years of a PhD in history, you will usually need to complete advanced coursework in history topics and research methods. You may also be required to take one or more exams. Once youve cleared these barriers, youll have more opportunity to focus on original research in a topic of your choice. To graduate, you will need to write a book-length dissertation on your research and defend your findings in an oral exam.
Career Opportunities
University Of North Carolina Chapel Hill
The History Department at the University of North Carolina ranks the schools status among the best colleges for history buffs. The Department of History teaches scholars the past, instructing them to explore and discover many historical human experiences.
When you study History in this institution, you get furnished with priceless research, communication skills, and critical thinking necessary to make it in the present and prepare you for a huge assortment of careers and a life of knowledgeable citizenship.
The Department offers a major in History Major, BA and minors in History Minor, and another in Medieval and Early Modern Studies Minor.
Best Colleges For History
Unless you plan on pursuing a Ph.D., a degree in history is unlikely to lead directly to a career as a historian. However, many degree-earners in this field do go on to teach at the k-12 level. The valuable skills accrued through earning a history degree include writing, critical thinking, and analysis, which translate well into any future workplace or graduate program. In fact, history serves as an excellent area of study for law school candidates as LSAT test-takers who majored in history outscore degree holders in criminal justice, business, or psychology by a wide margin. Regardless of how you plan to use your degree, the institutions on our list of the Best Colleges for History will ready you for success.
Click the links below for more information about each college’s history program. to read our methodology.
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Should I Get A Degree In History
Graduates who have a degree in history can teach at almost any level ranging from primary education to post-graduate school. Students who pursue a degree in history also have a choice as to the type of history they wish to teach. From ancient history to modern history and every type of history in between, the graduate is able to pursue the genre that most fascinates them. They will be able to teach others about the past and, in some ways, even bring it to life.
Historians are able to do research, identify and categorize artifacts, and preserve items that have been found that may have historical value. Librarians can also benefit from earning a degree in history. While these positions may seem out of date, they are actually vital to the preservation of history and how it relates to current times. A degree in history allows you to explore the past and possibly make new finds that can connect one time period to another.
Almost every industry has a history that can be explored. Studying the history of architecture, for instance, will allow the person to be able to identify techniques that were used in the construction of historic buildings and structures. The more that is learned about the structure of a building, the easier it is to determine when it was built and what materials were used.
Top Choice #30 English
- Mid-Career: $51,000
- Future Growth: 2%
Although it may be last in our rankings among the best majors, English is still a great option. An English major can be incredibly fruitful for graduates and present them with a variety of career options. Your studies in this top college major will provide you a wide variety of skills, all of which will be transferable into other specialties.
Media, publishing, marketing, and education are all possible sectors for an English major. Becoming an English teacher, a journalist, or even a publisher are all very popular options for someone who has studied this college major.
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As an English major, you could become a writer, editor, ESL teacher tutoring foreign students domestically or abroad, or a Language Arts or English teacher for a middle or high school.
Students of this top college major need to be creative but also have the ability to think analytically about how we use language and its mechanics.
Bachelors programs for English majors are widely available online or on campus.
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Retention And Graduation Rates At Duke
Retention is the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.
Out of all the first-year, full-time undergrads who start at Duke, around 95% come back the next year. Duke’s six-year graduation rate for undergrads is 95%. Compare this to the average six-year graduation rate for colleges and universities in the U.S., which is around 61% for public schools and 67% for private.
William And Mary’s Endowment
An endowment is the total value of a school’s investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students. William And Mary’s endowment was valued at $967.7 million in 2021, compared to a national average of $905 million. For each full-time student, William And Mary spends about $15,769 a year.
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Interview With A Professional In History
Bill Svelmoe is professor of history at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana. He grew up in the Philippines and studied English literature and creative writing at the University of California. He then got a master’s and doctorate in American history from the University of Notre Dame. He has been teaching at Saint Mary’s since 2000.
No. As you can see from my bio, I originally wanted to write poetry and fiction. But I grew up in a very particular religious setting. My parents were missionaries in the Philippines. We were very conservative Protestants. I wanted to understand the community I grew up in.
Essentially, my interest in history came from a desire to understand the community that had shaped me. So I came to Notre Dame to study American religious history.
A history program is not all that different from other majors in the humanities. There will be a lot of reading and a lot of writing. Instead of reading literature or philosophy, you’ll read works of history.
In some ways history is an excellent foundation for the other humanities disciplines. It provides the historical hooks upon which to hang works of philosophy or literature, each of which was written in a specific time period. Understanding the times will help you understand many of the historical causes which produced the work of literature, philosophy, or art.
As with many graduate degrees, job searches are not easy these days. I applied far and wide, from Alaska to Egypt, at least 50 applications.
Ready To Start Your Journey
History majors explore topics like art, architecture, and politics throughout the past. Earning a history degree qualifies graduates for career opportunities at museums, schools, and libraries.
Read on to learn about degree options, possible career paths, and professional resources related to the field of history.
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University Of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota offers a BA in History that requires the completion of 120 semester credits to graduate. Most students enrolled in North Dakotas best history degrees typically complete the program in 3.5 to 4 years. Students graduate from North Dakotas baccalaureate degree in history and find rewarding careers in the field of academics, government, business, law, or public service, to name a few. Students take classes in the origins of modern war, slaves, citizens & social change, the American West, and the Medieval World, to name a few.
The University of North Dakota was established in 1883. This space-grant higher learning institution also serves as the states flagship campus, with more than 13,100 students.
What We Like: The University of North Dakota was chartered several years before North Dakota reached statehood, making the University of North Dakota the oldest institution of higher education in the state.
Degree: B.A. in History
Tuition And Financial Aid At Harvard
Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students’ financial need. Harvard meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $62,338 a year.
Graduates in the class of 2021 had an average of $18,197 in student loans per borrower. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.
The 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021
Some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA early. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid , so be very wary of anyone asking you for money.
Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Harvard. Based on this information, how does Harvard sound? Remember, the best school for one person may not be the right school for another! So ask yourself: Is Harvard a good school foryou?
If Harvard University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.
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University Of Southern Indiana
The University of Southern Indiana offers two of Indianas best history degrees with its Bachelor of Arts degree and the Bachelor of Science degree in History. Coursework for this baccalaureate degree in history includes global history, the historians craft, historical methods, U.S. history in a global context, plus two senior seminars one on World History and another on American History. Area of studies European history, World Regions, American history, Professional Development, with a history teaching option.
The University of Southern Indiana was chartered as a state-funded higher learning institution in 1965. The schools campus in Evansville covers more than 1,000 acres and serves more than 8,900 students.
What We Like: The University of Southern Indiana operates a professional theatre with a professional partnership with the Actors Equity Association.
Degree: BA in History
Is Bowdoin College A Good School
Different people have different ideas about what makes a “good” school. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how competitive an institution is, but they don’t say much about the quality of the education or the student experience. However, there are a few good ways to get a better sense how satisfied students are and how well a school supports its student body.
Let’s take a look at all of these areas to get a clearer sense of what Bowdoin College offers and if it might be a good choice for you.
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How To Land History Major Jobs
Liberal arts degrees, including philosophy, literature, and of course, history, can get a bad reputation for being too broad, meaning they dont directly apply to a single career. However, the broadness is actually one distinct advantage of a history degree. You can choose from a large variety of career options after graduation. Jobs you can do with a history degree range from writing historical books to teaching to practicing law. But how do you convince employers that you are the right candidate for a job?
It applies to any position, but you should always focus on how your skills and experience benefit an employer. Some educational paths have it easy, as their skills directly apply to the position. An accounting major, for example, has a pretty clear idea of how their skills will help a business. So how does a history degree help a business? Start by finding out what the position includes and highlight ways that your education complements these tasks. This can include all of your research, communication, and analytical skills, but try to be as specific as possible. Internships and extracurricular activities can also show your experience in the field.
University Of Montevallo Named Top Public School In State For English History
- News
- University of Montevallo named top public school in state for English, history
The University of Montevallo is the top overall college in the state for English majors, and is the top public university in Alabama for history majors, according to the recently released Niche.com 2022 Best Colleges rankings.
The ranking compared the top English programs in Alabama, and UM ranked at the top of the list of combined public and private higher education institutions.
UM was also named the top public university in the state for history majors in the 2022 rankings, in a list comparing all public and private universities in the state.
The Best Colleges rankings were based on key statistics such as graduation rate, program demand, faculty-to-student ratio, student reviews and data from the U.S. Department of Education.
I am delighted to see such affirmation for these programs as well as a recognition of the dedication of the English and history faculty, said Dr. Ruth Truss, dean of the UM College of Arts & Sciences. These professors focus on student success and develop that success via offerings of both traditional and innovative courses, from medieval literature to graphic novels, from the Renaissance to digital history. Whatever the course details, the common element is that faculty constantly encourage students to expand and refine their skills in critical thinking, research and communication, thus preparing students for any career they choose to pursue.
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Top 15 Best Colleges For History Majors
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1420-1530 SAT, 30-34 ACT
Amherst College is a top liberal arts college in Western Massachusetts with an open curriculum, meaning that there are no general education requirements. As long as students fulfill their major requirements, they can take whatever courses they like. History majors at Amherst must complete nine courses spread across different timelines and geographic areas. They must also complete a research seminar course culminating in a 20-25 page research paper.
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1460-1570 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Ivy League Princeton is one of the most prestigious schools in the nation, and is just an hour outside of NYC. Princeton approaches history from an interdisciplinary and research-based perspective. The Princeton History department maintains close ties with other programs, such as Gender & Sexuality Studies and Hellenic Studies. Princeton history students must also complete two Junior Papers and a senior thesis.
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1420-1540 SAT, 32-35 ACT
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1380-1540 SAT, 31-35 ACT
Located just 30 minutes from Philly, Swarthmore is another top liberal arts college. The school is part of the Tri-College and Quaker Consortiums, allowing Swatties to also take classes at Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1470-1560 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1460-1580 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1500-1560 SAT, 33-35 ACT
Tuition And Financial Aid At William And Mary
Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students’ financial need. William And Mary meets 80% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $25,817 a year.
Graduates in the class of 2021 had an average of $6,254 in student loans per borrower. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.
The 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021
Some financial aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid , so don’t give your money to any website that claim you do.
Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at William And Mary. Based on this information, how does William And Mary sound? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may not be the right school for another! So ask yourself: Is William And Mary a good school foryou?
If William & Mary seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.
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Associate Degree In History
In an associate program, history students gain analytical and writing skills by conducting independent research and presenting their findings in papers. An associate degree prepares graduates for jobs as administrative assistants or teaching assistants who provide support services for business or education professionals.
After earning an associate degree in history, graduates can also transfer into a bachelor’s program to earn a four-year degree. Prospective history students looking for a more flexible option might be interested in earning an online associate degree in art history.
What Can You Do With an Associate in History?
Administrative assistants work as support staff in an office environment. They enter data, keep records, and conduct correspondence. Administrative assistants must possess strong writing and organizational skills. Some positions may also require direct contact with customers.