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2024 Best History Schools in Pennsylvania

17 Colleges in Pennsylvania
1,242 History Degrees Awarded
$29,611 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.

College Factual reviewed 17 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of history. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,242 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania Schools in History

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 History Degrees Awarded
$50,380 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to pursue a degree in history. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were about 71 history students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Those history students who get their degree from University of Pennsylvania earn $20,769 more than the standard history grad.

More information about a degree in history from University of Pennsylvania

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 History Degrees Awarded
$27,234 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in history has to look into University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #79 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were about 98 history students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program earn around $27,234 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in history from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

3
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 History Degrees Awarded
$27,420 Median Starting Salary

Villanova University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in history. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were roughly 34 history students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program earn about $27,420 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in history from Villanova University

4
Gettysburg crest
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 History Degrees Awarded
24.4% Growth in Graduates

Gettysburg College is a good option for students pursuing a degree in history. Gettysburg is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Gettysburg. A Best Colleges rank of #276 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Gettysburg is a great college overall.

There were about 45 history students who graduated with this degree at Gettysburg 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 $28,505.

More information about a degree in history from Gettysburg College

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 History Degrees Awarded
2.2% Growth in Graduates

WCUPA is a large public university located in the large suburb of West Chester. A Best Colleges rank of #241 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WCUPA is a great university overall.

There were about 45 history students who graduated with this degree at WCUPA in the most recent data year. History degree recipients from West Chester University of Pennsylvania earn a boost of around $2,404 above the typical earnings of history graduates.

More information about a degree in history from West Chester University of Pennsylvania

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 History Degrees Awarded
25.8% Growth in Graduates

SRU is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Slippery Rock. This university ranks 30th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 66 history students who graduated with this degree at SRU in the most recent data year. Those history students who get their degree from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania earn $7,048 more than the typical history grad.

More information about a degree in history from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

7
Duquesne crest
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 History Degrees Awarded
7.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #228 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duquesne is a great university overall.

There were approximately 39 history students who graduated with this degree at Duquesne in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program make around $27,166 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in history from Duquesne University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 History Degrees Awarded
$29,109 Median Starting Salary

Ship is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Shippensburg. This university ranks 39th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 39 history students who graduated with this degree at Ship in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the history program state that they receive average early career earnings of $29,109.

More information about a degree in history from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$32,912 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Scranton. A Best Colleges rank of #269 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Scranton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 16 history students who graduated with this degree at University of Scranton in the most recent year we have data available. Those history students who get their degree from University of Scranton make $3,301 more than the average history graduate.

More information about a degree in history from University of Scranton

10
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 History Degrees Awarded
$30,832 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #147 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 56 history students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the history program state that they receive average early career earnings of $30,832.

More information about a degree in history from Temple University

Best History Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best History Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 38 735
New York 38 2,656
Maryland 37 617
Delaware 33 68
District of Columbia 33 258

View All Rankings >

History Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
History 1,242

View All History Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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