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History Teachers, Postsecondary

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeLower pressure

What they do

Teach courses in human history and historiography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Kinds of work

  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $83,820 Median per year Most earn $48,410–$162,160

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
  • Teach community courses and speak to local groups and organizations.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  • Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.

Job outlook

United States
About the same number of jobs by 2035, little or no change · about 1,500 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools80.0%
  • Junior colleges19.6%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Becoming a postsecondary history teacher usually takes a doctoral degree, so it is not an entry-level job right out of college. Most people spend roughly a decade or more in school and early academic jobs before they land a professor role.

  1. Bachelor's degree in history

    4 years

    You learn to read sources closely, write strong arguments, and understand how historians build their claims, which is the foundation for graduate study.

  2. Doctoral program in history (PhD)

    5-7 years

    You take advanced seminars, learn research methods, and write a dissertation based on original research, which proves you can produce new historical knowledge.

  3. Visiting Assistant Professor or Postdoctoral Fellow

    2-4 years

    You teach your own courses and publish research in short-term academic positions, building the teaching record and publications that hiring committees look for.

  4. History Professor

    Career goal

    You teach history courses at a college or university, and may split time between teaching and research depending on the school.

Where it can lead

  1. Associate Professor of History

    5-7 years as an assistant professor of experience first

    After earning tenure, you usually have more say in courses, supervise graduate students, and are expected to keep publishing and build a national reputation.

  2. Professor of History

    5-10 years as an associate professor of experience first

    Full professors lead major research projects, mentor junior faculty, and often take on department-level leadership.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take AP History and AP English or writing-intensive classesStrong reading and writing skills are the base for every history degree and for graduate school applications.
  • Join a debate team, Model UN, or history bowlThese clubs help you build arguments from evidence and explain ideas clearly, which is a daily skill for historians.
  • Volunteer at a local museum, historical society, or libraryHelping with archives or exhibits shows you what historical work looks like behind the scenes.
  • Start a long-term research project on a topic you care aboutInterviewing older relatives or digging through local records gives you practice finding and questioning primary sources.
  • Get a part-time job that builds reading and communication skillsWorking in a library, bookstore, or tutoring center builds the habits of careful reading and explaining things to others.

In college

  • Major in history and take historiography and research methods coursesThese classes teach you how historians think about evidence and how to design a research question, which graduate programs expect.
  • Work as a research assistant for a history professorYou will learn archival research and may get a letter of recommendation that speaks to your research skills.
  • Become a writing center tutor or history teaching assistantHelping other students with their writing builds teaching experience and sharpens your own writing.
  • Present a paper at an undergraduate research conferencePresenting your work shows you can contribute to the field and gives you a credential for graduate applications.
  • Study a foreign language relevant to your interestsMany historical sources are in other languages, and reading fluency opens up more research options.

Tips for getting started

  • Choose a history major and write as much as you can, since strong writing and research are what graduate programs look for most.
  • Learn a second language if you can, because many historical sources and research fields require reading in other languages.
  • Get to know your history professors and ask about their research. Their letters of recommendation and guidance will matter when you apply to graduate school.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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