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2024 Best History Schools in Illinois

13 Colleges in Illinois
1,007 History Degrees Awarded
$32,707 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #30 in popularity, history is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for history students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,007 degrees in history to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great History School

Best History Schools in Illinois 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. We derive our Best Overall History School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best History Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for History in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of history degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in History

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
110 History Degrees Awarded
6.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in history. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 110 history students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available. History degree recipients from University of Chicago earn a boost of approximately $7,639 over the typical earnings of history majors.

More information about a degree in history from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 History Degrees Awarded
4.7% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in history needs to check out Northwestern University. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 86 history students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Those history students who get their degree from Northwestern University make $6,284 more than the standard history graduate.

More information about a degree in history from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 History Degrees Awarded
0.8% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in history has to take a look at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 118 history students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. History degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn a boost of about $6,775 above the typical income of history majors.

More information about a degree in history from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
123 History Degrees Awarded
13.0% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Illinois State University if you wish to pursue a degree in history. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 123 history students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Those history students who get their degree from Illinois State University receive $4,215 more than the standard history grad.

More information about a degree in history from Illinois State University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$24,997 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 29 history students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program earn an average of $24,997 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in history from University of Illinois at Chicago

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 History Degrees Awarded
28.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 31st out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 42 history students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the history program report average early career wages of $32,201.

More information about a degree in history from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

7

Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 26 history students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program make an average of $27,826 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in history from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 History Degrees Awarded
3.8% Growth in Graduates

NIU is a large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb. This university ranks 24th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 53 history students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, history degree recipients typically earn an average of $32,454 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in history from Northern Illinois University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 History Degrees Awarded
$29,281 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were approximately 31 history students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. After graduation, history degree recipients usually earn about $29,281 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in history from DePaul University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 History Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public university located in the large city of Chicago. This university ranks 50th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 32 history students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern Illinois University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the history program report average early career wages of $30,685.

More information about a degree in history from Northeastern Illinois University

Best History Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best History Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Michigan322613
Ohio314975
Indiana294533
Wisconsin273559

View All Rankings >

One of 0 majors within the History area of study, History has other similar majors worth exploring.

History Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General History986
Public/Applied History11
History and Philosophy of Science and Technology10

View All History Focus Areas >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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