College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best History Master's Degree Schools

232 Colleges in the United States
3,509 Master's Degrees
$38,715 Avg Early-Career Salary
Historymaster's programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major degree program ranks #24 out of the 37 majors we look at each year. This may make is a little harder to find a school that is a good fit for you.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 232 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best History Master's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,509 master's degrees in history to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great History School for Your Master's Degree

Best History Master's Degree Schools 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.

A Great Overall School

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 college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

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.

Other Factors We Consider

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.

More Ways to Rank History Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More History Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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.


 

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study History in the United States

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 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in History

1
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Harvard University if you want to pursue a master's degree in history. Located in the midsize city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Harvard University

2
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in history has to check out Yale University. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in history from Yale University

3
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

Princeton University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in history. Located in the city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in history from Princeton University

4
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7 Annual Graduates

University of Pennsylvania is a good option for students interested in a master's degree in history. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in history from University of Pennsylvania

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in history from University of Chicago

6
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a master’s in history from Duke University

7
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17 Annual Graduates

Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.More information about a master’s in history from Georgetown University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Annual Graduates

Columbia is a very 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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7 Annual Graduates

Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in history from University of Notre Dame

10
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Vanderbilt University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Northwestern University

12
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Annual Graduates

NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in history from New York University

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in history from University of Southern California

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in history from University of Virginia - Main Campus

15
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence.More information about a master’s in history from Brown University

16
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.More information about a master’s in history from Emory University

17
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Tufts University

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

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

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Cornell University

20
Ashland crest
Ashland University
Ashland, OH
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in history from Ashland University

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in history from George Washington University

22
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
177 Annual Graduates

American Military University is a very large private for-profit university located in the fringe town of Charles Town.More information about a master’s in history from American Public University System

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in history from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in history from University of California - Berkeley

25
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.More information about a master’s in history from Boston College

Rest of the Top Best History Master's Degree Schools

26
27
28
29
30
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
31
32

33

34
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

Honorable Mentions

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
35 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
36 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
37 Norwich University Northfield, VT
38 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
39 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
40 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
41 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
41 American University Washington, DC
42 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
43 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
44 Boston University Boston, MA
45 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
46 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
48 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI

History by Region

View the Best History Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

History Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
History 3,509

Majors Similar to History

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 16,693
Theology & Religious Vocations 14,027
Communication & Journalism 10,997
English Language & Literature 7,909
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 3,139
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 2,909
Philosophy & Religious Studies 2,087
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 2,044
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 1,942

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options