History Teachers, Postsecondary

Postsecondary history teachers instruct students in human history and historiography. Their daily work involves training and teaching others, interpreting complex historical information, and thinking creatively to design engaging lessons. These educators spend significant time getting information, analyzing data, and updating their own knowledge to stay current in their field. They document information and use computers to manage course materials and grades.

This career strongly attracts individuals with social interests who enjoy helping others learn and grow. Success in this role requires strong skills in speaking, reading comprehension, writing, and active listening. Instructors must use critical thinking and learning strategies to help students grasp difficult concepts. Important knowledge areas include history and archeology, the English language, education, geography, sociology, and philosophy. To manage their classrooms and research, these teachers rely on work styles like intellectual curiosity, dependability, integrity, cooperation, and attention to detail. They must also show initiative and perseverance when conducting historical research and publishing their findings.

Entering this career typically requires extensive preparation, including a doctoral or professional degree. Most professionals in this field need a graduate degree, such as a master's degree, PhD, MD, or JD.

Students preparing for this career can choose from several related college majors. Common fields of study include history, teacher education and professional development in specific subject areas, and history and political science. Other relevant majors include classical and ancient studies, medieval and renaissance studies, Holocaust studies, history and language/literature, and health professions education, ethics, and humanities. These programs help aspiring teachers build the deep subject-matter knowledge and research skills required to teach at the college level.

In 2025, the median annual pay for postsecondary history teachers was $83,820. The lowest 10% of earners in this field made less than $48,410, while the highest 10% earned more than $162,160. There were 18,790 people employed in this occupation. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to show little or no change, with a 0% growth rate. Despite this flat growth, about 1,500 job openings are projected to become available each year.