The information you learn and the skills you gain in your pursuit of an undergraduate degree in history can open many doors for you and can be applied to a wide range of professional fields. The classes in these degree programs require extensive writing and tackle subject matter that requires critical thinking skills. You also will develop valuable research, analytical and communications skills as, together with a faculty mentor, you create a degree program that meet your specific professional and academic needs and goals.
While the entry into history programs can be very competitive, attending a school doesn’t have to be expensive, and there are many affordable options across the nation. No two history programs are the same, but these schools have built their reputations by providing students with top quality history education that they can use to have rewarding careers. Here are the top 15 affordable schools where you can get a history degree.
CUNY Queens College
$6,530
Queens College undergraduates who want a Bachelor of Art in History will have to earn 36 department credits. They include classes focusing on non-western, United States and European history. You will also have to choose a concentration, like gender and history or ancient and premodern history. This school may be of particular interest to you if you enjoy library science, as you are able to earn a joint degree in both history and library science.
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
$6,530
While pursuing an undergraduate degree at Baruch College, you can take part in the history’s department student History Club where you will be able to enjoy extracurricular lectures and films. There are many advanced classes that you will be able to take that will tackle interesting topics, like transnational issues. The school also offers students the opportunity to earn academic credits by being interns at historical organizations or museums in New York City and the surrounding area. Internships are available at the New York Transit Museum, the Staten Island Museum and various consulates or international chambers of commerce.
University of Houston-Downtown
$6,194
A Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Houston in downtown Houston, Texas, will provide you with a deep understanding of the political, commercial and social history of the world. If your career plans include teaching middle or high school, you may want to take advantage of the concentration in secondary education that you can pursue with the degree.
Your 120 credit hours will include coursework focusing on:
- History of Mexico
- The Vietnam War
- Historical Methods
- 20th Century Russia
- Latin American History
- History of Religion in the United States
- Ethnic Minorities in American History
- Middle Eastern History
Granite State College
$7,257
Granite State College offers a top-ranked and affordable online Bachelor of Arts in History. According to the college’s website, it is the most affordable four-year, higher learning institution in New Hampshire. If you have credits that you need to transfer to the college and apply to your degree, you may be interested to know that 84 percent of the college’s students are transfers.
To obtain your undergraduate history degree, you will be required to complete at least 120 credits, 30 of which must be taken at the college. By the time you complete your degree, you will be expected to be aware of and appreciate the experiences and contributions of diverse populations, identify significant that shaped various regions and nations and be able to effectively conduct research.
Some of the coursework include:
- Topics in World History
- American Government and Politics
- Great Civilizations
- Historical Methods
SUNY Empire State College
$7,760
Empire State College is a regionally accredited institution of the State University of New York and offers multiple online degrees, including a Bachelor of Arts in History. You have the option of focusing on a single area, such as American history, Asian American history or military history, or you can develop your own interdisciplinary concentration, such as history and literature, that allows you to explore multiple topics or themes.
Columbia College
$8,240
Columbia College gives you the option of pursuing your undergraduate history degree on campus or online. You will take coursework that will prepare you for public service, teaching or law school. You will be able to tailor your coursework to meet your long-term career or academic goals. Core courses include classes that focus on United States, European and world history. In order to graduate, you much successfully pass Historical Research and Methods, a course that is used by the college to evaluate the results of the major.
New Jersey City University
$8,350
At New Jersey City University, you can pursue a Bachelor of Arts in History, or if you prefer to major in another subject, a minor in history. The degree can be used by students who want to pursue careers in journalism, education and law. You will be required to complete 36 credits in history classes to obtain a bachelor’s degree, and will have to take classes pertaining to history of the United States, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. There is also a mandatory 3-credit senior capstone seminar for which you will have to submit a senior thesis.
American Public University System
$8,370
There are six online undergraduate history degrees offered by American Public University, including
- Bachelor of Arts in History
- Bachelor of Arts in History – American History
- Bachelor of Arts in History – European History
- Bachelor of Arts in History – Global History
- Bachelor of Arts in Military History
- Bachelor of Arts in Military History – American Military
The school is especially geared toward students who serve or have served in the military or who are active in public service fields. The specialization options you will be offered can help you prepare for leadership and service in an increasingly global society.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
$8,898
As a history student at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, you will have the opportunity to study abroad to gain first-hand knowledge of the historical topics you are studying. The school offers multiple undergraduate concentrations, including:
- Ancient and medieval history
- Latin American history
- African, Asian and Middle Eastern history
- Global history
- United States history
Other learning opportunities include professional internships at nearby museums, preservation societies and archive facilities. If you are interested in studying abroad, you can apply for need-based and merit-based scholarships and other types of financial aid.
Southern New Hampshire University Online
$9,600
The online Bachelor of Arts History degree program at Southern New Hampshire University is built on a solid foundation of a liberal arts education and emphasizes the study of the relationships between contemporary civilizations and ancient societies. Additional features of the program include the transfer of up to 90 credits from another university, the ability to complete the degree at your own pace and instructors with professional credentials and relevant experience in the history field.
As a history major, you will develop your critical thinking and analytical skills, which you will be able to use on whichever professional path you decide to follow after your obtain your degree. In order to receive your degree, you will have to complete your senior capstone, which will require you to create a written project based on the topic that will be pre-discussed with your instructor.
There are four concentration options you can choose from, including:
- Middle Eastern history
- Military history
- American history
- European history
Oregon State University
$10,296
You can only obtain either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in History online. As a resident on campus, there is an additional undergraduate history degree, the Honors Bachelor of Arts, that you can pursue. The School of History, Philosophy and Religion places an emphasis on teaching students how to research, evaluate and consider how thought, science, religion and politics have shaped ancient and contemporary cultures. As a history major, your coursework will require you to develop critical thinking, ethical and moral reasoning skills. According to the university’s website, history graduates from the university have found careers at the Library of Congress, nonprofit organizations, government, the military and in education.
The course work for the program includes offerings focused on:
- European history
- United States history
- Islamic world history
- Latin American history
Liberty University
$11,700
Liberty University offers the online Bachelor of Science in History at an affordable price. The program requires at least 120 credit hours, 30 of which are required to be earned through the university. Up to 90 credit hours can be transferred from another school. A small sampling of the program courses you will take include:
- Regional Studies in Geography
- Historical Methodology
- Survey of American History
The student-to-faculty ratio for the online classes is small, only 17 to 1. Depending on your course load, you may be able to finish the online degree sooner than you would on campus.
University of Louisiana –Monroe
$12,000
As a history major at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, you will develop research and analysis skills that you will be able to apply to any professional or academic path you pursue after your obtain your degree. According to the university’s website, 90 percent of the school’s history graduates have secured employment within 60 days of their graduation date.
The degree can be completed on campus or online, and the program requires that you obtain a minor and successfully complete the requirements for the academic minor. An example of some of the classes that are offered include:
- U.S. Military History, 1865-Present
- Native American History
- American Colonial
- The Revolutionary Generation
- The Age of Jefferson and Jackson
- The Atlantic World
- Voodoo, Hoodoo, and Conjure
- The Old South
- The American Frontier
- History of Biblical Lands
Park University
$12,130
As a history major at Park University, you can pursue a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Science in Military History, either online or on campus. You will be required to complete at least 122 credit hours, 36 of which are required to be major-specific. In order to receive your degree, you will also be required to successfully pass an in-depth written examination as well as a two-hour-long oral examination, both of which will pertain to your required coursework and your chosen historical concentration.
You will have access to many opportunities to enhance your history coursework. Within the last few years, history majors have participated in internships at the United States Embassy in Macedonia, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration and the National World War I Museum. Students have also attended and presented at local, regional and national historical conferences, including the Mid-American Conference and Phi Alpha Theta Biennial.
Arizona State University
$12,240
The university has a 2017 Best College ranking from U.S. News & World Report as the Most Innovative School. In this university system, you have the option of pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in History either on the West, Tempe, or Polytechnic campuses or online. If you interested in teaching, you may opt to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in History-Secondary Education; however, this degree is available only on campus.
American and European history are the focuses of the undergraduate history program. There are also smaller emphases on environment history and the history of the Southwest. You will be taught how to conduct historical research and will examine the creation of human society from political, cultural, social and economic lens. One of the requirements to complete your degree is the completion of at least 12 upper-level history courses taught by the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts.
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