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.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in Tennessee to determine which ones were the best for history students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 555 degrees in history to qualified students.
Your choice of history school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.
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.
The history school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best History Schools in Tennessee.
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.
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.
It is hard to beat Vanderbilt University if you want to pursue a degree in history. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were roughly 73 history students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the history degree program at Vanderbilt University make $12,884 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
It is difficult to beat The University of Tennessee - Knoxville if you wish to pursue a degree in history. UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville. A Best Colleges rank of #173 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.
There were approximately 64 history students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, history degree recipients generally make an average of $24,567 in the first five years of their career.
Middle Tennessee State University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in history. Located in the city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were about 59 history students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the history program report average early career earnings of $28,098.
University of Memphis is a great choice for students interested in a degree in history. Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #748 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofM is a great university overall.
There were approximately 60 history students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the history program make around $23,861 in their early career salary.
Located in the medium-sized city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 29th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were roughly 30 history students who graduated with this degree at Austin Peay State University in the most recent year we have data available. History degree recipients from Austin Peay State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,518 over the average earnings of history majors.
ETSU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Johnson City. A Best Colleges rank of #851 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 52 history students who graduated with this degree at ETSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, history degree recipients generally make around $21,920 at the beginning of their careers.
UT Chattanooga is a large public university located in the city of Chattanooga. This university ranks 16th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were approximately 22 history students who graduated with this degree at UT Chattanooga 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 $23,558.
Located in the remote town of Martin, UT Martin is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 31st out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were approximately 14 history students who graduated with this degree at UT Martin in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the history program make around $29,318 for their early career.
Located in the remote town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 20th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.
There were about 11 history students who graduated with this degree at Tennessee Tech University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the history program make an average of $24,768 for their early career.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
college factual
Your choice of history school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.
