by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 91 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best History Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,531 master's degrees in history during the 2021-2022 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The history master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for history students working on their master's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best History Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in history. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It's difficult to beat Harvard University if you want to pursue a master's degree in history. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Harvard University
Duke University is a great choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in history. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a master’s in history from Duke University
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in history needs to look into Yale University. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in history from Yale University
New York University is a wonderful option for students interested in a master's degree in history. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in history from New York University
Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Northwestern University
Georgetown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a master’s in history from Georgetown University
Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in history from Columbia University in the City of New York
UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a master’s in history from University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a master’s in history from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Boston College
William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg.More information about a master’s in history from William & Mary
Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in history from George Washington University
Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova.More information about a master’s in history from Villanova University
Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in history from University of Maryland - College Park
American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the town of Charles Town.More information about a master’s in history from American Public University System
Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Indiana University - Bloomington
Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in history from Loyola University Chicago
Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in history from American University
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best History Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | University at Albany | Albany, NY |
| 27 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 28 | Ashland University | Ashland, OH |
| 29 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
| 30 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock, PA |
| 19 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 20 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 21 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 22 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
View the Best History Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| History | 3,531 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 17,401 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 13,436 |
| Communication & Journalism | 12,283 |
| English Language & Literature | 8,169 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 2,950 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 2,867 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 2,236 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 1,863 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 1,850 |