An online master’s in history is usually an MA, and it does three specific jobs: it is the working credential for archives, museums, and public history; it is the subject credential many secondary teachers add for a pay step or a dual-credit assignment; and it is the entry point to doctoral study. It is not a general-purpose career upgrade. Before you enroll, decide which of those three you are buying, because the tracks differ.
This page explains how these programs are structured, how the academic MA differs from a public history track, what admissions actually weigh, and what to compare across schools.
Quick answers
What is an online master’s in history?
It is a graduate program in historical research and interpretation, typically an MA, delivered through seminars, directed reading, and a thesis or a comprehensive examination. Tracks vary: an academic MA emphasizes historiography and research; a public history MA adds archives, museums, preservation, and digital collections, usually with a practicum.
What is the difference between an academic MA and a public history MA?
The academic MA prepares you for doctoral study and for teaching at the community college level. It centers on fields, historiography, and a research thesis. The public history MA prepares you for the jobs that exist in larger numbers: archivist, curator, collections manager, records analyst, preservation specialist. It adds professional coursework and a supervised practicum. Read the required course list, not the program name.
Do I need a history bachelor’s to be admitted?
Usually not, though you will often need a set of undergraduate history credits or a demonstrated research background. Programs weigh the writing sample and the statement of purpose heavily, because they are trying to predict whether you can produce a graduate research paper. A strong sample from another field can work if it shows argument from evidence.
Will a master’s qualify me to teach college?
At a community college, often yes, since a master’s with a defined number of graduate credits in the discipline is the common standard. At a four-year institution, generally no: postsecondary history teaching there is a PhD field, employment is projected to decline 0.2 percent through 2034, and the occupation has about 1,700 openings a year across 24,600 positions (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034).
Is a master’s enough for archives and museum work?
It is the usual minimum. Archivists had a median annual wage of $64,550 and curators $63,420 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), and both occupations hire primarily at the master’s level. For archives specifically, many employers prefer a library and information science degree accredited by the American Library Association, sometimes paired with a history MA. Check job postings in your region before you choose between the two credentials.
Thesis or comprehensive exam?
Most programs offer both. Choose the thesis if you may pursue a PhD or want a substantial research writing sample. Choose the examination route if the degree is a subject credential for teaching or a step into applied work and you would rather finish on a predictable calendar. Ask how thesis supervision works for online students before you commit to it.
At a Glance
- Degree type: MA in History, or MA in Public History with an applied track
- Typical duration: Varies by school and by full-time or part-time enrollment – confirm the catalog
- Admissions: Bachelor’s degree, a research writing sample, statement of purpose, and often undergraduate history credits
- Capstone: Research thesis, comprehensive examination, or a public history practicum and portfolio
- Accreditation: No programmatic accreditor for history; verify institutional accreditation
Schools to compare
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$102,772
Avg net price
$12,116/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 64
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$124,080
Avg net price
$13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 100
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 127
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$110,066
Avg net price
$6,128/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 47
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
7%
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,735
Avg net price
$14,398/yr
TuitionIn‑state$67,832
Out‑of‑state$67,832
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$88,665
Avg net price
$17,716/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$143,372
Avg net price
$20,111/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 99%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Typical topics in a master’s program
| Course Topic |
What You Learn |
| Graduate Historiography |
The major interpretive traditions in a field and how arguments have been contested |
| Research Methods and Sources |
Advanced primary-source work, archival research design, citation, and research ethics |
| Readings Seminars |
Intensive reading in one field, with weekly written analysis |
| Public History Principles |
Interpretation for general audiences, exhibit development, and community partnerships |
| Archival Theory and Practice |
Appraisal, arrangement, description standards, and preservation of records |
| Digital History |
Digitization, metadata, mapping, text analysis, and online exhibits |
| Practicum or Internship |
Supervised work in an archive, museum, historical society, or agency |
| Thesis or Comprehensive Exams |
A supervised research thesis, or field examinations covering set reading lists |
Academic MA vs public history MA, in practice
Choose the academic MA if you intend to apply to doctoral programs, want a research thesis you can develop into a dissertation prospectus, or need graduate subject credits for teaching. Choose the public history MA if you want a job in collections, records, or interpretation, because that track builds the practicum record and the professional vocabulary hiring managers look for.
Do not assume the academic MA converts to archives work on its own. Archival employers screen for description standards, processing experience, and preservation coursework, and the library science route delivers those directly. History gives you subject expertise; the applied credential gives you the workflow.
Skills and outcomes to compare
Outcomes vary by program, but you can compare:
- Whether the degree is an academic MA or a public history MA, stated in the catalog
- Which fields have faculty who supervise graduate research online
- Whether a thesis option exists and how supervision is arranged remotely
- Whether the practicum is required, and whether the program helps place remote students
- What digital history tools are taught, since that skill set now appears in most collections postings
- Whether the program states the number of graduate credits earned in the discipline, which matters for community college teaching eligibility
- Library and database access for graduate students at a distance
For pacing and delivery comparisons, see: How Online History Degrees Work
How to compare online master’s programs
- Identify the track: academic MA, public history MA, or a subject MA aimed at teachers.
- Read the required core and confirm it matches the work you want, not the marketing description.
- Check the capstone options and pick one deliberately: thesis, examination, or portfolio.
- Ask how many faculty actively supervise online graduate research in your field.
- Confirm practicum requirements and placement support before you assume a program is fully remote.
- If teaching is a goal, confirm the graduate credit count in the discipline that your target institutions require.
- Verify recognized institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education database.
No accreditor evaluates history programs specifically. Institutional accreditation is the check that matters, plus American Library Association accreditation if you take the library and information science route into archives. A graduate degree does not by itself produce a job in a small occupation: historians employed under that title numbered 3,400 in 2024, with about 300 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034).
Admissions requirements
Requirements vary by school, but most programs require a completed bachelor’s degree, transcripts, a statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. Many also expect a set number of undergraduate history credits, and some will admit you provisionally while you complete them.
The writing sample carries the most weight, because it is the closest available evidence that you can write a graduate research paper. Submit a documented argument from primary or scholarly sources, ideally with footnotes, not a personal essay. Language requirements appear in programs with strong non-English fields; ask early, because a language exam can add a term. Standardized test scores are frequently optional now, so confirm rather than assume.
Master’s vs a bachelor’s pathway
A bachelor’s in history is the general four-year credential plus research training, and it is enough for licensed secondary teaching, entry-level research and records roles, and law school admission. A master’s is what the history-specific occupations actually hire on: archives, curation, public history, and community college teaching.
Weigh that against the size of those occupations. Archivists numbered 9,300 in 2024 with 1,100 openings a year, curators 15,100 with 1,800 openings, and museum technicians and conservators 15,700 with 1,900 openings (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). These are open doors, but narrow ones, and geography matters more than in most fields because collections are where the institutions are.
Compare degree options:
For a value and fit discussion, see: Is an Online History Degree Worth It. If the work you want is teaching in a K-12 classroom, see the education program guide for licensure routes instead.
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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