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2024 Best History Schools in California

29 Colleges in California
5,392 History Degrees Awarded
$27,322 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in history, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #30 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 29 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best History Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 5,392 degrees in history to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great History School

Best History Schools in California Your choice of history school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

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.

History Rankings by Degree Level

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best History Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 California

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 California Schools in History

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 History Degrees Awarded
25.6% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in history has to look into University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 90 history students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the history degree program at University of Southern California earn $2,641 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in history from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
344 History Degrees Awarded
$25,829 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in history. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 344 history students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the history program report average early career wages of $25,829.

More information about a degree in history from University of California - Los Angeles

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
149 History Degrees Awarded
2.0% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in history. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 149 history students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. History degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley receive an earnings boost of about $4,356 above the typical income of history graduates.

More information about a degree in history from University of California - Berkeley

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
161 History Degrees Awarded
$26,516 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Santa Barbara is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in history. UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 161 history students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the history program make around $26,516 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in history from University of California - Santa Barbara

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 History Degrees Awarded
$31,189 Median Starting Salary

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 120 history students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. History degree recipients from University of California - Davis earn a boost of about $3,867 over the typical earnings of history graduates.

More information about a degree in history from University of California - Davis

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 History Degrees Awarded
$26,976 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 80 history students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the history program report average early career earnings of $26,976.

More information about a degree in history from University of California - San Diego

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
135 History Degrees Awarded
3.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were roughly 135 history students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the history program earn an average of $24,560 for their early career.

More information about a degree in history from University of California - Santa Cruz

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
134 History Degrees Awarded
19.4% Growth in Graduates

UCR is a very large public university located in the city of Riverside. This university ranks 36th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 134 history students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year. After graduating, history degree recipients usually make an average of $22,033 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in history from University of California - Riverside

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 History Degrees Awarded
7.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 95 history students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. After graduating, history degree recipients generally make an average of $20,274 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in history from University of California - Irvine

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
145 History Degrees Awarded
11.0% Growth in Graduates

Sac State is a very large public university located in the city of Sacramento. This university ranks 39th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 145 history students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the history program make around $29,160 in the first couple years of their career.

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

Best History Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best History Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 475
Oregon 266 342
Nevada 192 109
Hawaii 164 68
Alaska 119 41

View All Rankings >

History is one of 0 different types of History programs to choose from.

History Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General History 5,294
Other History 94
Public/Applied History 3
History and Philosophy of Science and Technology 1

View All History Concentrations >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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