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2024 Best History Schools in California

28 Colleges in California
5,392 History Degrees Awarded
$27,322 Avg Early-Career Salary
History degree programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major ranks #23 out of the 38 majors we look at each year. As such, your educational options may be more limited than if you were in a more popular field.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 28 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best History Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,392 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 California 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

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 History Schools in California 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 History in California

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 California Schools in History

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

It's difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a degree in history. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 90 history students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Those history students who get their degree from University of Southern California earn $2,641 more than the typical history student.

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 a great option for students pursuing a degree in history. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges 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. After graduation, history degree recipients generally earn about $25,829 at the beginning of their careers.

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

Every student pursuing a degree in history has to take a look at University of California - Berkeley. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools 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 year we have data available. Degree recipients from the history program at University of California - Berkeley get $4,356 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

Every student pursuing a degree in history has to look into University of California - Santa Barbara. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools 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 graduate with their degree from the history program report average early career income of $26,516.

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

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 120 history students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the history degree program at University of California - Davis earn $3,867 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

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

There were approximately 80 history students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, history degree recipients usually earn around $26,976 in their early careers.

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

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

There were about 135 history students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz 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 $24,560.

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

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

There were approximately 134 history students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program make an average of $22,033 in the first couple years of working.

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

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 95 history students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program earn around $20,274 in the first couple 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

Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 39th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 145 history students who graduated with this degree at Sac State 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 wages of $29,160.

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 37 475
Oregon 37 342
Hawaii 36 68
Nevada 35 109
Alaska 33 41

View All Rankings >

History Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
History 5,392

View All History Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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