Best Online Bachelor’s of History Degree Programs Ranked for 2025

Badge for BEST ONLINE BACHELOR'S IN HISTORY

By Dr. James Barham and Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Chloe Dembski

Published: Jul 2, 2021
Updated: Nov 7, 2024

Find top-ranked online bachelor’s in history degree programs for students wanting to work for historical societies, schools, government agencies, libraries, and nonprofit organizations in the US.

Key Takeaways

Students at one of the best online bachelor’s of history degree programs can explore various historical periods and regions, tailoring their studies to specific interests such as American, European, or Asian history.
Many of the best online history programs offer competitive tuition rates and financial aid options, making higher education more accessible to a broader range of students.
The best online bachelor’s of history provide asynchronous coursework, allowing students to study at their own pace and balance their education with personal and professional commitments.

Table of Contents

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in History Degree Programs in 2025

University of Arizona
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
+2
Florida International University
+3
University of Central Florida
–1
University of Memphis
–3
University of Idaho
–1
University of Alaska Fairbanks
+1
Liberty University
+4
Southeast Missouri State University
+12
Providence College
–3

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.

In 2025, the top ten schools in our ranking of the best online bachelor’s in history degree programs saw a substantial amount of movement. Southeast Missouri State University has recently enhanced its online bachelor’s programs, including the Bachelor of Arts in History, to better serve students. The university now offers more than 50 fully online programs, providing greater flexibility for students to pursue their degrees remotely.

Additionally, SEMO has implemented a uniform tuition rate for online students, eliminating the distinction between in-state and out-of-state tuition fees, which makes the program more affordable regardless of a student’s location. These improvements underscore SEMO’s commitment to accessible and flexible education for online learners.

Featured Programs

25 Best Online Bachelor’s in History Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with History Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

History

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $11,062
Avg. Expenses*: $17,511
Avg. Starting Salary*: $31,187
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $42,711
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 12 years
Job Growth: 2.82%
Number of Jobs: 2,383,100
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Natural Sciences Managers	7.49%	$157,740
Managers, All Other	5.75%	$133,560
History Teachers, Postsecondary	0.78%	$82,140
Historians	5.88%	$72,890
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	-0.64%	$65,220
Curators	12.68%	$61,750
Archivists	7.95%	$59,910
Museum Technicians and Conservators	11.11%	$48,670

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Natural Sciences Managers	$157,740
Managers, All Other	$133,560
History Teachers, Postsecondary	$82,140
Historians	$72,890
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$65,220
Curators	$61,750
Archivists	$59,910
Museum Technicians and Conservators	$48,670

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Frequently Asked Questions About History Degrees

A bachelor’s degree in history gives students a comprehensive education of the past and a contextual understanding of the present.

Students can study either online or on campus and can choose from various concentrations, such as African history, Asian history, Eastern European history, European history, Latin American history, and United States history.

On average, an undergraduate degree in history requires 120 credits, which typically takes about four to five years to complete.

While some students use their degree to apply for law school or to pursue a master’s degree, many history graduates go on to work for historical societies, schools, government agencies, libraries, and nonprofit organizations.

Learn more about how to major in history.

Online History Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

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Best Online Bachelor’s of History Degree Programs Ranked for 2025

Key Takeaways

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in History Degree Programs in 2025

2025 Ranking Update

Featured Programs

25 Best Online Bachelor’s in History Degree Programs

Last Year’s Ranking:

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Arizona

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at Florida International University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Central Florida

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Memphis

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Idaho

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at Liberty University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for History degree at Southeast Missouri State University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for History degree at Providence College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at Sam Houston State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at Regent University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at Northern Kentucky University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at Troy University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for History degree at Southern New Hampshire University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for History degree at Idaho State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at Norfolk State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Tennessee at Martin

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Missouri–St. Louis

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for History degree at University of Nebraska at Kearney

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for History degree at University of North Alabama

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at Westfield State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for History degree at West Texas A&M University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for History degree at Arkansas Tech University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with History Degree

History

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Career Salaries

Top Industries

Frequently Asked Questions About History Degrees

Why get a bachelor’s in history?

What are the different areas of history you can study while getting a bachelor’s in history?

How long does it take to get a bachelor’s in history?

What can you do with a bachelor’s in history?

Online History Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from an online college course?+

Is online college easier than campus-based college?+

Why does accreditation matter in online college?+

Will I be able to transfer my online college degree?+