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2024 Best History Schools in the Plains States Region

21 Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,798 History Degrees Awarded
$30,406 Avg Early-Career Salary
You'll be studying one of the lesser sought-after majors if you pursue a degree in history. It is ranked #23 out of 38 major degree programs in terms of popularity. This may make is a little harder to find a school that is a good fit for you.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 21 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for history students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,798 degrees in history during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great History School

Best History Schools in the Plains States Region The history program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for History rankings. For our Best Overall History School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your History Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in History
Master's Degrees in History
Doctor's Degrees in History

The history school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best History Schools in the Plains States Region. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for History in the Plains States Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the history degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in History

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 History Degrees Awarded
$30,668 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in history needs to look into University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 108 history students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the history program report average early career earnings of $30,668.

More information about a degree in history from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 History Degrees Awarded
$32,633 Median Starting Salary

Iowa State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in history. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 56 history students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. History degree recipients from Iowa State University get an earnings boost of around $2,227 over the average income of history graduates.

More information about a degree in history from Iowa State University

3
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 History Degrees Awarded
$26,945 Median Starting Salary

University of Iowa is a great option for students interested in a degree in history. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 78 history students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. After graduation, history degree recipients generally make around $26,945 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in history from University of Iowa

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 History Degrees Awarded
8.8% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in history needs to take a look at University of Nebraska - Lincoln. UNL is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #138 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were about 57 history students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program make an average of $29,928 for their early career.

More information about a degree in history from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 History Degrees Awarded
$34,792 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #199 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were about 34 history students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the history degree program at University of Northern Iowa earn $4,386 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in history from University of Northern Iowa

6
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
54 History Degrees Awarded
$26,445 Median Starting Salary

KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 54 history students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the history program state that they receive average early career earnings of $26,445.

More information about a degree in history from University of Kansas

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 History Degrees Awarded
4.4% Growth in Graduates

Mizzou is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were about 45 history students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. After graduating, history degree recipients typically earn an average of $26,248 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in history from University of Missouri - Columbia

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$37,916 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

South Dakota State is a large public university located in the town of Brookings. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means South Dakota State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 15 history students who graduated with this degree at South Dakota State in the most recent year we have data available. Those history students who get their degree from South Dakota State University earn $7,510 more than the average history graduate.

More information about a degree in history from South Dakota State University

9
Truman State crest
Truman State University
Kirksville, MO
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 History Degrees Awarded
19.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Kirksville, Truman State is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 13th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were roughly 36 history students who graduated with this degree at Truman State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program earn an average of $27,407 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in history from Truman State University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 History Degrees Awarded
22.2% Growth in Graduates

UMN Duluth is a moderately-sized public university located in the small city of Duluth. A Best Colleges rank of #328 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Duluth is a great university overall.

There were about 36 history students who graduated with this degree at UMN Duluth in the most recent year we have data available. Those history students who get their degree from University of Minnesota - Duluth receive $4,178 more than the typical history grad.

More information about a degree in history from University of Minnesota - Duluth

Best History Colleges by State

Explore the best history schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Kansas 38 219
Minnesota 38 393
Iowa 38 336
South Dakota 38 70
Missouri 38 487
Nebraska 36 224
North Dakota 35 49

View All Rankings >

History Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
History 1,798

View All History Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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