Best History Schools Near Charleston, WV (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Charleston, West Virginia has 5 accredited schools offering history programs, with tuition ranging from $26,625 to $40,168 per year for indexed programs. Charleston has a population of about 47,918. Median household income is $64,512 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charleston, WV metro area, the top-earning history-related role is Writers and Authors at a median $72,340 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest History Schools to Charleston

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer history programs near Charleston, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Charleston city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

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:

  • 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. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Charleston. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

West Virginia State University

Institute, WV 7.5 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
38.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,492
Avg net price $11,139/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Marshall University

Huntington, WV 43.4 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,354
Avg net price $7,502/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 100

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Concord University

Athens, WV 72.4 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
41.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,703
Avg net price $9,966/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

West Virginia Wesleyan College

Buckhannon, WV 88.2 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,593
Avg net price $18,083/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Davis & Elkins College

Elkins, WV 104.5 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
40.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,411
Avg net price $18,273/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Fairmont State University

Fairmont, WV 111.3 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
50.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,857
Avg net price $9,032/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

West Virginia University

Morgantown, WV 126.5 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
67.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,939
Avg net price $15,634/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 168

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

West Liberty University

West Liberty, WV 137.0 miles from Charleston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
50.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,296
Avg net price $15,366/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all West Virginia schools on the West Virginia history page.

History Wages Near Charleston

Charleston is part of the Charleston, WV metro area (BLS area code 16620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to West Virginia statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Historians N/A WV statewide –
Archivists N/A WV statewide –
Curators N/A WV statewide –
Museum Technicians and Conservators N/A WV statewide –
History Teachers, Postsecondary $69,560 WV statewide $78,422
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $55,800 Charleston, WV $62,909
Writers and Authors $72,340 Charleston, WV $81,556
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists $50,740 Charleston, WV $57,204

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Charleston at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 47,918 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $64,512 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 44.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 88.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Charleston-Area Cities With History Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited history schools are near Charleston, WV?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering history programs near Charleston. The closest is West Virginia State University in Institute, WV (7.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Kentucky Christian University (71.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying history roles near Charleston?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying history-related roles near Charleston are: Writers and Authors ($72,340), History Teachers, Postsecondary ($69,560), Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education ($55,800). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with West Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Huntington instead of Charleston?

Huntington, WV is 43.7 miles from Charleston and has its own set of local history programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Charleston an affordable place to study history?

Charleston’s median household income of $64,512 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Charleston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and West Virginia public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About History Programs

Other Programs Available in Charleston

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Charleston:

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.

Back to Best History Schools in West Virginia: Online Programs (2026)