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2025 Best Public/Applied History Schools

13 Colleges in the United States
274 Public/Applied History Degrees Awarded
Public/Applied History isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #828 in popularity out of 1506 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public/Applied History Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 274 degrees in public/applied history to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public/Applied History School

Best Public/Applied History Schools Your choice of public/applied history school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Public/Applied History School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Public/Applied History Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Public/Applied History
Bachelor's Degrees in Public/Applied History
Master's Degrees in Public/Applied History
Doctor's Degrees in Public/Applied History

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Public/Applied History Schools list to help you make the college 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 Public/Applied History in the United States

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 public/applied history degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Schools in Public/Applied History

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
18.2% Growth in Graduates

Loyola University Chicago is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in public/applied history. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 11 public/applied history students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public/applied history from Loyola University Chicago

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA

It's difficult to beat Salem State University if you want to pursue a degree in public/applied history. Salem State is a medium-sized public university located in the suburb of Salem. This university ranks 26th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 10 public/applied history students who graduated with this degree at Salem State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public/applied history from Salem State University

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MA in History - Public History Program Name

Learn to protect historic artifacts and communicate historical narratives with this specialized online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in MA in History - Public History from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In ND

North Dakota State University - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in public/applied history. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 12 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Dakota.

There were approximately 1 public/applied history students who graduated with this degree at North Dakota State University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public/applied history from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

4
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MI
37.5% Growth in Graduates

Central Michigan University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in public/applied history. Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #346 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Central Michigan is a great university overall.

There were roughly 8 public/applied history students who graduated with this degree at Central Michigan in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public/applied history from Central Michigan University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type

CSUSB is a large public university located in the city of San Bernardino. This university ranks 82nd out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.More information about a degree in public/applied history from California State University - San Bernardino

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NC
30.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were about 13 public/applied history students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public/applied history from North Carolina State University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA

Sac State is a very large public university located in the city of Sacramento. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Sac State is a great university overall.

There were about 2 public/applied history students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public/applied history from California State University - Sacramento

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in History Program Name

Gain a rich foundation of knowledge ranging from early history to modern times with this online bachelor's degree in history from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in History from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MI
71.4% Growth in Graduates

WMU is a large public university located in the small city of Kalamazoo. A Best Colleges rank of #322 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means WMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 7 public/applied history students who graduated with this degree at WMU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public/applied history from Western Michigan University

9
Nazareth crest
Nazareth College
Rochester, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NY

Located in the suburb of Rochester, Nazareth is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 88th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 5 public/applied history students who graduated with this degree at Nazareth in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public/applied history from Nazareth College

10
Duquesne crest
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In PA
20.0% Growth in Graduates

Duquesne is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #196 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duquesne is a great university overall.

There were approximately 5 public/applied history students who graduated with this degree at Duquesne in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public/applied history from Duquesne University

Public/Applied History by Region

View the Best Public/Applied History Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 8 majors within the History area of study, Public/Applied History has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
General History 30,058
Other History 547
History and Philosophy of Science and Technology 256
Military History 196
American History (United States) 99
European History 13

View All Public/Applied History Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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