Intelligence Brief Humanities Sector
History
Bachelor's · 4 years
D+
Scorecard
- $60,000
- Median salary
- 3%
- Projected growth
- 43/100
- Difficulty
- 7
- Career paths
AI Resilience 41
Overall Score 42
CollegeRanker Degree Outlook Score™
46
out of 100 · C+
Solid Outlook
Composite of earnings, projected growth, demand gap, AI resilience, career breadth, and remote flexibility — CollegeRanker's proprietary degree outlook model.
Supply vs Demand
CompetitiveMarket Demand32
Graduate Supply68
Graduate supply meets or exceeds demand — projected 3% occupational growth (as fast as average).
Salary Trajectory
~1.8%/yrModeled from BLS median wage and occupational growth. Dashed bars are forecast. Illustrative, not a guarantee.
Where Graduates Work
Common Employers
- Universities
- Publishers
- Museums
- Media Companies
- Nonprofits
Representative employers that commonly hire Humanities graduates — illustrative of where graduates concentrate, not a guarantee.
Industry Mix
- Education 30%
- Media & Publishing 22%
- Nonprofits 18%
- Government 14%
- Other 16%
Estimated distribution of Humanities graduates across hiring industries.
Executive Summary
- History scores 42/100 (D+), reflecting a challenging profile among bachelor's programs.
- Median salary of $60,000 reflects moderate earning potential.
- Projected growth of 3% is below the national average.
- AI resilience score of 41 signals that many careers this degree leads to face significant automation pressure.
History scores 42/100 — D+. The strongest dimension is remote potential (65/100), followed by salary (30/100). The biggest challenge: growth (11/100).
Research Insights
- At Risk Future-proof
History faces headwinds for long-term value (40/100). AI automation risk across the career pathways is elevated. Projected growth of 3% is below average. Graduates should develop skills that complement, not compete with, AI-driven workflows.
Score 40 /100 - Limited ROI
History offers a challenging ROI profile (44/100). Median earnings of $60,000 are below many peers.
Score 44 /100 - Moderate Career Breadth
History offers moderate career breadth (51/100). The 7 identified career paths provide options, but mobility across fields may require additional credentials or experience.
Score 51 /100
Decision Intelligence
History presents a more complex risk/reward profile. Outcomes are less predictable and depend heavily on specific career targeting and graduate school plans.
Who Benefits Most
Students who value career stability and meet the academic prerequisites. Students who pair this degree with internships and networking outperform peers.
Who Should Think Twice
Individuals who seek immediate high earnings or those who are not passionate about historical subjects may find this degree unsuitable. It is also less ideal for those who prefer clearly defined career paths or who are uncomfortable with extensive reading and writing.
Student Archetypes
- The Passionate Historian Recommended
This student has a deep interest in history and is motivated by a desire to explore and understand past events. They are likely to pursue roles that allow them to share this passion with others.
Economic Importance
A Bachelor's degree in History supports industries such as education, cultural heritage, government, and policy analysis. The market values this degree for its emphasis on critical thinking, research, and contextual analysis, which are essential in roles that require understanding complex societal issues.
Scorecard Analysis
Our proprietary scorecard evaluates degrees across five dimensions from BLS wage and growth data, O*NET work context, and standard education requirements.
Below-average earning
Below-average growth
Moderate barrier
Moderate remote compatibility
Less competitive
Difficulty Score
43/100
Composite reflecting the combined demands of salary, growth, barrier, remote compatibility, and competition.
AI Resilience Assessment
Automation risk for careers linked to this degree.
History faces significant AI disruption risk (41/100). Many careers linked to this degree have components that are directly automatable. Graduates should prioritize developing skills AI cannot easily replicate.
- Many career pathways from this degree map to current AI capabilities.
- Entry-level positions in associated fields face the highest displacement risk.
- Mitigation: developing deep domain expertise and cross-functional leadership skills can differentiate from AI-driven alternatives.
Intelligence Deep Dive
-
Reality Check
While a History degree fosters critical skills, it often leads to competitive job markets with limited openings in certain sectors. Graduates must be proactive in seeking opportunities and may need to supplement their education with practical experience or further studies.
-
Hiring Market Signal
Current hiring conditions for History graduates are stable, with demand in education, museums, and government sectors. Job seekers should focus on building relevant experience through internships and networking to improve their employability in a competitive market.
-
Risk Factors
- High student debt relative to starting salaries
- Potential oversaturation of the job market in certain regions
- Limited job openings in specialized history-related roles
- Automation of some research tasks
- Geographic concentration of jobs in urban areas
-
ROI Timeline
Typically, it may take 5-10 years to recoup the investment in a History degree, depending on factors such as starting salary, debt load, and job market conditions. Graduates who pursue further education or specialized roles may see a quicker return on their investment.
What You'll Study
The curriculum blends courses in various historical contexts with research methodologies, equipping students with the skills to analyze primary sources and construct well-supported arguments. This foundation prepares graduates for roles that require strong analytical and communication skills.
The academic experience in a History program typically includes a mix of lectures, discussions, and research projects. You will progress through foundational courses in world history, American history, and historiography before specializing in areas of interest such as cultural history or political history. Expect to engage in substantial reading and writing, with assignments that challenge you to critique historical arguments and develop your own viewpoints.
Internships at museums, archives, or historical sites are often encouraged, providing hands-on experience that can be pivotal for your career. Group projects may also be part of the curriculum, fostering collaboration and deepening your understanding of historical interpretation.
Typical Curriculum
- World History Survey
- U.S. History
- European History
- Historiography
- Research Methods
- Primary Source Analysis
- Regional Electives
- Senior Thesis
Career Pipeline
From entry to executive.
Entry-Level
- Research Assistant
- High School History Teacher
- Museum Technician
- Archivist Assistant
- Policy Research Intern
Mid-Career
- Historian
- Museum Curator
- Policy Analyst
- Intelligence Analyst
- Legal Assistant
Advanced
- Director of Archives
- Chief Curator
- Senior Policy Advisor
- Lawyer (with JD)
Pipeline Insight
Graduates typically begin in entry-level roles that allow them to develop their research and analytical abilities. Those who advance often distinguish themselves through continued education, networking, and gaining specialized skills that align with their career goals.
Career Outcomes
Graduates with a degree in History find diverse career paths, including roles as historians, archivists, museum curators, teachers, and policy analysts. The median salary for these positions is around $60,000, but it can vary widely based on the specific role and experience. With a projected job growth of 3%, opportunities are stable, though competition can be significant in fields like academia or specialized research.
- Historian
- Archivist
- Museum Curator
- Teacher
- Policy Analyst
- Intelligence Analyst
- Lawyer (with JD)
Compensation Context
The median salary of $60,000 reflects the degree's broad applicability but also the competitive nature of many roles within this field. Pay can vary significantly based on location, with urban areas generally offering higher salaries, and is influenced by factors such as demand for historical expertise and the scarcity of qualified candidates in niche roles.
Alternative Routes
Similar or competing pathways students consider alongside History:
- Political Science
- Archaeology
- Cultural Studies
- Library Science
- Self-taught history via online courses
Getting In & Timeline
Typical time to complete: 4 years full-time
- High school diploma or equivalent, strong GPA, letters of recommendation, personal statement
Advice
Focus on developing strong writing and research skills to enhance your application and future career prospects.
Is This Degree Worth It?
The ROI for a History degree can be positive if graduates pursue advanced degrees or specialized roles that leverage their skills, such as law or policy analysis. However, those who expect immediate high salaries in entry-level positions may find the economic return disappointing without additional qualifications.
Schools With Strong Outcomes in Humanities
Ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrollment. Schools grouped into tiers by outcome level.
Top Tier2schools
Strong Outcomes2schools
Explore More Degrees
Methodology & Data Sources
Every score, grade, and verdict on this page is built from a consistent framework designed to answer one question: what is the expected return on this degree?
Scorecard dimensions. We evaluate programs on five proprietary axes — Salary, Job Growth, Education Barrier, Remote/Online Compatibility, and Competition — each normalized to a 0–100 scale. The Overall Score is a weighted composite: salary (30%), job growth (20%), AI resilience (15%), barrier proximity (15%), competition inverse (10%), and career breadth (10%). Letter grades follow a standard scale from A+ (95+) down to F.
AI Resilience. Measures automation risk across the degree's associated career pathways. Each degree receives a category-level baseline adjusted upward for AI-adjacent fields (e.g., machine learning, computer science) and downward for fields with higher routine-task exposure. The score represents the degree's resistance to labor-market disruption, not a prediction of elimination.
Verdict scores. Future-Proof, ROI, and Career Breadth are secondary composites weighting AI resilience, growth, salary, barrier, and career count to answer specific decision questions: is this career durable (Future-Proof), financially worthwhile (ROI), and flexible (Career Breadth)?
Data sources. Salary and growth figures are drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (O*NET) and the Occupational Outlook Handbook (2023–2033 projections). Education requirement data and work context scores come from O*NET 28.2. School-level earnings data is sourced from the Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker (median earnings 10 years after enrollment, based on federal tax records). Program rankings and school lists reflect CollegeRanker's proprietary classification and filtering methodology.
This page is built on disclosed, reproducible data. No affiliate bias, no survey-based rankings, no undisclosed weighting.
Data Behind This Page Updated 2025
Source datasets
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2023–2033 projections
- O*NET 28.2 — education requirements and work-context data
- Opportunity Insights — earnings 10 years after enrollment (federal tax records)
Methodology
Degrees are scored on five normalized axes — salary (30%), job growth (20%), AI resilience (15%), education barrier (15%), and competition (10%), plus career breadth (10%) — each on a 0–100 scale.
See the full methodology and weights →Confidence notes
- Salary and growth figures come from federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data — administrative wage records and official projections, not surveys.
- AI-resilience scores are computed from O*NET task and work-context data, applied consistently across every program.
- Every measure is normalized to a fixed 0–100 scale, so degrees are directly comparable.
Limitations
- BLS wage data reflect national medians; actual pay varies widely by region, employer, and experience.
- Job growth is a 2023–2033 projection, not a guarantee — labor markets shift with technology and the economy.
- AI-resilience is a directional estimate of automation exposure, not a prediction about any specific role.
- Figures describe typical outcomes for the field, not a promise for any individual graduate.
