History professors must earn a graduate degree, generally requiring significant research and writing in an area of specialization. They communicate findings with a variety of audiences and through a number of mediums. Job growth is good for professors as a whole.
History Professor Career Overview
History professors instruct college history students in broad and specialized topics. They typically hold a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, though a master's degree may qualify them for work at some junior colleges. Some doctoral programs require work as a teaching assistant and foreign language exams.
| Required Education | Master's for some 2-year colleges, Doctorate for universities and 4-year colleges |
| Other Requirements | Teaching assistant experience and foreign language exams may be required |
| Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)* | 4% for history teachers, postsecondary |
| Median Salary (2019)* | $75,170 annually for history teachers, postsecondary |
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What Does a History Professor Do?
History professors typically work in history departments of colleges and universities, although employment may be available with museums or historical societies. They can specialize in the history of an area or time period. History professors aren't just knowledgeable about the causes and effects of historic events; they know how to communicate the concepts to large groups. They divide their time between instructing history courses and writing for academic publications.
College history professors are skilled investigators who must be able to work independently. Because their jobs require delivering lectures and publishing papers, they need strong communication and writing abilities. History professors often lend their expertise at speaking engagements and mentor graduate students who are pursuing their doctorates. History professors are also benefited by having good time management skills and strong social skills, as professors are often placed under significant time pressures for research projects, speaking engagements, and lectures, and these also involve working with other colleagues in institutional and field environments.
How to Become a History Professor
Higher education is a key element for becoming a history professor. In general, there are three main steps in this process:
Step 1: Complete Undergraduate Studies
Step 2: Earn a Master's Degree
Step 3: Earn a Doctoral Degree
While a master's degree can qualify an individual for employment at a junior college, most jobs for history professors at the university-level will require a doctorate (PhD). To earn a PhD, students must complete a bachelor's program and extensive graduate study that includes publishing original research. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average PhD program takes six years of full-time study beyond a bachelor's degree.
Step 1: Complete Undergraduate Studies
Becoming a history professor begins with the completion of a bachelor's degree program in history or in another related field. These programs include coursework in different geographical areas and time periods. Many history programs allow students to select one or two concentration areas and several lower division requirements from outside their concentration areas. The concentration areas require a greater number of credit hours than the lower divisions.
After undergraduate studies have been completed, students have the option of pursuing master's degrees or proceeding directly into PhD programs after completing undergraduate studies. Since PhD programs require applicants to have completed significant research, many students complete a master's degree before applying. Some students also pursue dual master's and PhD programs, which offer students both a master's and a PhD upon completion. Some programs only admit students with master's degrees but allow the credits earned to count towards the PhD requirements. Regardless of these various options, a master's degree is a common step taken on the path toward becoming a history professor.
Step 2: Earn a Master's Degree
Master's degrees are often a key part of becoming a history professor, and earning a master's degree is the traditional step for after the completion of undergraduate studies. A master's degree usually takes 2 years to complete and involves the composition of a master's thesis, which is the culmination of a master's research project. As part of writing a master's thesis, the student must conduct rigorous research under the supervision of a thesis advisor, who helps provide the student with direction. In some cases, students may have secondary thesis advisors in order to facilitate research conducted in an interdisciplinary manner. This research will lead to the completion of a master's thesis, which is usually the capstone of a master's degree.
The master's thesis is a good representation of how much hard work, quality research, and originality a student put into a master's program. The topic and quality of a master's thesis can have significant influence on whether a student is accepted into a doctoral program and, if so, which doctoral programs would be interested in taking on this student. Therefore, students in a master's program may use their thesis to focus on their concentration area and expand upon it during PhD studies.
Step 3: Earn a Doctoral Degree
PhD candidates must meet foreign language and exam requirements. Some concentration areas may require students to pass multiple foreign language exams. Examinations are based on a student's concentration, but programs that require students to pass more than one exam include an outside area. The capstone requirement of a PhD program is the doctoral dissertation and subsequent defense to an individual's graduate committee.
While working toward PhDs, students may work as teaching assistants (TAs) to undergraduate students or as research assistants to professors in exchange for stipends and fellowships. Besides the financial incentives, these positions provide work experience. Some programs may require students to work as TAs for a semester or more.
History Professor Professional Advancement
The BLS states that many PhDs begin their careers as instructors and move through the ranks that include assistant professor, associate professor and professor. New instructors are given a period to teach and conduct research before being reviewed. Those who earn favorable reviews are often given tenure, which provides some job security. Many schools offer more non-tenure track positions, such as part-time and adjunct faculty, that typically do not pay as well.
History Professor Employment Outlook and Salary
Aspiring history professors can expect to earn a PhD, find some degree of specialization and work through a number of teaching ranks to earn professorship. The professor career is experiencing strong job growth, and history professors had a median salary of over $75,000 in 2019.
According to the BLS, career opportunities for postsecondary history teachers are expected to increase by 4% from 2019 to 2029, which is slightly higher than the average for all careers in the nation. In May of 2019, the BLS also reported that postsecondary history professors earned a median salary of $75,170 per year.
