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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in History worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 506 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$199,212 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

45.6 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−78%Estimated return after 10 years
$50,592Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$50,592 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$50,592Typical earnings four years after completion
$52,072Average earnings five years after completion
$24,000Typical federal student debt
23thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
181Degrees awarded in 2024–25
460College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 60 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about History

How much do History bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $50,592 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $24,000. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for History?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $46,105 to $55,906 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to History?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 9 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
Not available
Federal debt
$24,637
Programs in the comparison
1
0 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$45,336
Federal debt
$15,230
Programs in the comparison
6
4 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$50,592
Federal debt
$24,000
Programs in the comparison
506
460 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
Not available
Federal debt
$22,125
Programs in the comparison
1
0 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$56,361
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
36
36 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$76,907
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
6
6 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$61,512
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$46,105National median$50,59275th percentile$55,906
460 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$55,90675th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$24,000Median federal debt across programs that report it
73Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Dartmouth College

$136,403 four years after completionHanover, NH · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

University of Pennsylvania

$11,000 among completer borrowersPhiladelphia, PA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Harvard University

161 reported awards in 2024–25Cambridge, MA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$109,947Observed year-4 earnings$66,185
$15,846Annual college-wide average net price$40,815
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Dartmouth College$136,4032Duke University$112,3773Yale University$109,9474Amherst College$103,6015Washington and Lee University$100,0876Columbia University in the City of New York$98,0797University of Pennsylvania$88,5178Brown University$85,5209Cornell University$82,03110Princeton University$80,347

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Managers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangeHistory Teachers, Postsecondary$83,820 median wage18,790 jobs nationwide+0.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$48,410–$162,160 typical wage rangeHistorians$76,750 median wage3,450 jobs nationwide+3.0% projected growth through 2035 · 300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$42,730–$131,810 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage rangeNatural Sciences Managers$167,220 median wage108,690 jobs nationwide+8.2% projected growth through 2035 · 9,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,710–$316,850 typical wage rangeArchivists$64,550 median wage7,970 jobs nationwide+3.4% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$39,970–$110,550 typical wage rangeCurators$63,420 median wage12,150 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 1,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$40,470–$107,140 typical wage rangeMuseum Technicians and Conservators$51,440 median wage12,310 jobs nationwide+3.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$33,780–$87,530 typical wage rangeTour Guides and EscortsUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

NY41 programs$57,337 average earningsCA31 programs$55,165 average earningsTX28 programs$52,128 average earningsPA28 programs$52,159 average earningsOH28 programs$47,432 average earningsMA21 programs$59,293 average earningsVA17 programs$56,875 average earningsNJ17 programs$55,955 average earningsIL15 programs$52,189 average earningsNC12 programs$51,737 average earningsGA12 programs$48,505 average earningsFL12 programs$48,471 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.