What Are the Best Colleges for History?

History is a fascinating, vast topic. Many schools offer history degrees, but not all of these programs are as broad or in depth as others.

Keep reading to discover our picks for the best colleges for history degrees.

Top Colleges for History

Many colleges and universities across the United States offer degrees in history. We've listed a few of our top choices below.

1. University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley is a public research university in Berkeley, California. It's the founding university of the University of California System. It offers history degrees through its Department of History.

At the undergraduate level, students can earn a Bachelor of Arts in history. Students create their own field of concentration by choosing from a large selection of history courses. These include:

• Art and Monuments as Sources for Pre-Modern European History
• Italy in the Age of Dante
• Magic, Religion, and Science: The Ancient and Medieval Worlds
• Medieval and Early Modern India to the Coming of the British

Graduate students can pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in history. This program offers 15 fields of study, including:

• Africa
• Ancient Greece and Rome
• Latin America
• North America
• South Asia

Students can begin this program with either a bachelor's or master's degree. The program requires students to take a foreign language and complete a research dissertation.

2. University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It offers a bachelor's and Ph.D. in history through its Department of History.

The Bachelor of Arts in history offers three tracks: a thesis track, a capstone track, and a colloquium track. The thesis and capstone tracks both require a final research project.

Students choose a focus in either a geographic field, like Africa, Asia, or Europe, or a thematic field, like economics, religion, or science/technology/medicine.

The Ph.D. in history offers a broad range of interdisciplinary, theoretical, and comparative fields of study. Courses offered in this program include:

• Britain 1760-1880: The Origins of Fossil Capitalism
• Collecting the Ancient World: Museum Practice and Politics
• Multi-Ethnic Histories of Ukraine
• Paris from Victor Hugo to the Liberation

The program requires multiple research projects, as well as a foreign language. Students can petition to be awarded a Master of Arts as they work toward their Ph.D.

3. University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts offers history programs through its history department.

The bachelor's degree in history is a flexible program that allows students to meet personal interests and needs while experiencing the enormous variety of topics offered in the department.

It includes courses such as:

• Exploring Modern Black British History and Culture
• Ghost Stories from the Ancient Mediterranean
• Maternal and Infant Health in Latin American History
• The Writing of History: The Refugee from Empires to Postcolonies

The Ph.D. program in history takes six or seven years to complete. It includes courses, reading groups, workshops, lecture series, conferences, and many other scholarly activities.

The first three years are made up of pre-candidacy coursework, while the following years are spent completing a research dissertation.

4. Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. It offers history programs through its Department of History within its College of Arts and Science.

The bachelor's program in history requires students to take at least 15 credits within a history concentration. Concentrations include:

• Asia
• Early American and the United States
• Global and Transnational
• Science, Medicine, and Technology

The department also offers two additional bachelor's degrees: law, history, and society, and economics and history.

The Ph.D. program requires students to choose from one of three areas of excellence: economics, legal history, or race and diaspora. They must also choose an area of research such as:

• Ancient/Medieval
• Atlantic World
• Early Modern
• Legal History

While the department does not offer a standalone master's degree, students can earn a Master of Arts en route to their Ph.D.

5. Williams College

Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It offers a Bachelor of Arts in history.

The major requires at least one major seminar and at least one advanced seminar or advanced tutorial. Students also take courses that cover the history of areas like:

• Asia
• Europe and Russia
• Global History
• Latin America and the Caribbean

Students in the program are encouraged to design their own concentration of at least three courses linked by common themes, geography, or time period.

The program also encourages students to learn a language and participate in the college's study abroad programs.

FAQs About Colleges for History

Below, you'll find the answers to frequently asked questions about colleges and universities for history.

What Can I Do with a History Degree?

A history degree can be an excellent foundation for law school or medical school. It can also lead to careers working in settings like:

• academia
• government
• journalism
• museums

Can I Earn a Degree in History Online?

Some colleges and universities offer history degrees online. Others may offer a portion of coursework online.

How Long Are History Degree Programs?

The length of a history degree depends on what level of degree you're earning. Bachelor's degrees usually take four years, master's degrees take about two, and Ph.D.s often take six or seven.

Find the Best Colleges for History

Students can find history degrees at many different colleges and universities throughout the United States. Check out the programs above to find the right fit for you today.