Becoming a Historian via Online Education?

At the very least, online education can help you lay a foundation and/or open up alternate career paths. Ashford University, one of the highest ranking online schools, is a US school (accredited) offering history courses to train individuals to become top-notch historians, art history teachers, professor of histories, art history professors, history professors, history instructors, museum archivists, museum curators, museum guides, etc. Currently, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics there are 21,810 people employed as history teachers alone in America, and their average annual salary is $69,280. Historians make on average $56,350 per year and there are about 3,620 of them employed today. Colleges and universities like Ashford University that provide online education are successfully launching workers into this field.

Typical Work Locations for a Historian
  • university
  • college
  • museum
  • art gallery
  • white house
  • newspaper
  • television station
  • movie company
  • archive
  • auction house
Potential Advantages and Benefits of Working as a Historian
  • spend most of their time in pleasant offices
  • sometimes travel to distant cities
  • patience to work long hours tracking down elusive facts
  • ability to arrange many details into a convincing
  • able to work independently
  • willing to spend long hours reading
  • add to their income through writing
  • excellent position for someone who is looking to move into a leadership role in the field
  • paid holidays and vacations
  • retirement plans
Potential Drawbacks
  • you have to travel often
  • you have to read always
  • you have to interview several people
  • you have to be analytical
  • you have to think critically
  • you have to be objective
  • you have to think through all the information
  • you have to be friendly to people
  • you have to be patient
  • you have to work late
Related Professions to Consider
  • Historiographer
  • Archaeologist
  • Anthropologist
  • Research Analyst
  • History Professor
  • Curators
  • Architectural Historian
  • Journalist
  • Medication Historian
  • Cultural Historian
Possible Interview Questions When Applying to be a Historian
  • Tell us about yourself?
  • How do you enforce the State Policies while working as a Historian?
  • How will you prepare to find out historic places and things?
  • What is your suggestions to protect the historic places and monuments?
  • How will you make sure you meet the needs of students and general public as a Historian?
  • What is your thought about American History?
  • Have you worked as a Historian?
  • How many world languages you know?
  • What is your strength & weakness?
  • What is your ambition?
Common Collaborating Professions
  • Intelligence Historian
  • Architectural Historian
  • Geologist Historian
  • Information Systems Specialist - Process Historian
  • Process Historian
  • Curator/Historian
  • Historian Instructor
  • Senior Architectural Historian
  • Information Systems Specialist
  • Automation Engineer
Historian Training books Historian (More) Popular books Potential Companies to Work For Common College Majors
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities
  • American History Degrees
  • Ancient Studies
  • Classical Mediterranean Near Eastern Studies
  • Cultural Resource Management
  • Historic Preservation Programs
  • Museum Studies Degree
  • Geography and Cartography
  • Human and Consume Sciences
  • Human and Social Services Studies

Historian Salary Information

Category: Historians

Total # Employed in the US 3,620
Average Hourly Wage: $27.09/hr
Hourly Wage Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$12.43 $15.69 $24.54 $36.71 $46.03
Average Yearly Salary $56,350
Yearly Salary Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$25,850 $32,630 $51,050 $76,360 $95,750
Employment Demographics
% OF WORKERS WITH
< High School Diploma High School Diploma Some College Associate Degree Bachelor Degree Master Degree Doctoral Degree
0.2% 1.3% 7.3% 3.7% 37.8% 34.3% 15.4%
Historians — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
STATEAverage Hourly WageAverage Annual Salary
Florida $40.64/hr $84,520
Colorado $35.71/hr $74,280
Connecticut $34.45/hr $71,660
Missouri $33.33/hr $69,330
South Carolina $32.66/hr $67,920
North Dakota $32.65/hr $67,910
Alabama $31.84/hr $66,230
Mississippi $28.26/hr $58,780
Maine $28/hr $58,250
Hawaii $26.72/hr $55,580
Idaho $26.65/hr $55,440
Montana $26.46/hr $55,050
District of Columbia $26.23/hr $54,570
New Jersey $26.21/hr $54,510
Wyoming $25.76/hr $53,590
Nebraska $24.64/hr $51,240
Oregon $24.42/hr $50,800
New Hampshire $23.61/hr $49,110
Kansas $22.07/hr $45,900
Utah $20.4/hr $42,440
Kentucky $19.63/hr $40,830
Wisconsin $18.67/hr $38,830
Maryland $18.66/hr $38,800
Guam $18.41/hr $38,300
South Dakota $17.78/hr $36,980
Oklahoma $15.67/hr $32,590


Category: History teachers, postsecondary

Total # Employed in the US 21,810
Average Yearly Salary $69,280
Yearly Salary Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$35,510 $47,730 $63,490 $84,330 $110,570
Employment Demographics
% OF WORKERS WITH
< High School Diploma High School Diploma Some College Associate Degree Bachelor Degree Master Degree Doctoral Degree
0.2% 0.7% 2.7% 2.3% 15.3% 34.6% 44.2%
History teachers, postsecondary — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
STATEAverage Hourly WageAverage Annual Salary
Alabama - $58,630
Arkansas - $58,820
California - $48,930
Colorado - $85,770
Connecticut - $53,320
Delaware - $77,220
Florida - $76,540
Hawaii - $62,080
Idaho - $60,570
Indiana - $65,620
Kansas - $57,230
Kentucky - $68,520
Louisiana - $64,240
Maine - $50,800
Maryland - $62,120
Massachusetts - $53,160
Michigan - $72,570
Mississippi - $79,800
Missouri - $79,810
Montana - $72,950
Nebraska - $65,670
Nevada - $60,080
New Hampshire - $55,630
New Jersey - $52,330
New Mexico - $64,720
North Carolina - $66,110
North Dakota - $80,390
Ohio - $63,310
Oklahoma - $84,810
Oregon - $61,450
Pennsylvania - $60,700
South Carolina - $67,350
South Dakota - $49,030
Tennessee - $77,830
Utah - $77,720
Virginia - $96,960
Washington - $63,370
West Virginia - $60,220
Wisconsin - $56,240
Wyoming - $69,720
Guam - $57,950
Puerto Rico - $63,100


Category: Museum technicians and conservators

Total # Employed in the US 10,170
Average Hourly Wage: $19.87/hr
Hourly Wage Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$11.31 $13.69 $17.85 $23.69 $32.26
Average Yearly Salary $41,330
Yearly Salary Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$23,530 $28,480 $37,120 $49,280 $67,090
Employment Demographics
% OF WORKERS WITH
< High School Diploma High School Diploma Some College Associate Degree Bachelor Degree Master Degree Doctoral Degree
1.2% 5.9% 9.5% 3.8% 31.7% 38.2% 9.7%
Museum technicians and conservators — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
STATEAverage Hourly WageAverage Annual Salary
Florida $29.7/hr $61,770
Oklahoma $24.64/hr $51,260
Mississippi $24.61/hr $51,190
Delaware $23.77/hr $49,430
Missouri $23.26/hr $48,380
Louisiana $22.62/hr $47,040
South Carolina $21.62/hr $44,970
Puerto Rico $21.53/hr $44,790
Colorado $21.51/hr $44,740
Connecticut $20.78/hr $43,220
Kansas $20.45/hr $42,540
Utah $20.12/hr $41,850
Idaho $19.1/hr $39,740
Arkansas $19.08/hr $39,680
North Dakota $18.89/hr $39,300
Wyoming $18.33/hr $38,130
Alaska $18.26/hr $37,990
Michigan $17.93/hr $37,290
Indiana $17.51/hr $36,420
Oregon $17.32/hr $36,030
Maryland $17.18/hr $35,730
Nebraska $17.17/hr $35,710
District of Columbia $17.1/hr $35,580
New Hampshire $17.1/hr $35,570
New Mexico $16.92/hr $35,200
Montana $16.65/hr $34,630
Kentucky $16.34/hr $33,980
Ohio $16.1/hr $33,490
South Dakota $16.07/hr $33,430
Maine $16.02/hr $33,320
Tennessee $15.97/hr $33,210
Wisconsin $15.65/hr $32,550
Hawaii $15.37/hr $31,970
California $14.96/hr $31,120
Guam $14.92/hr $31,040
Alabama $14.89/hr $30,970
Washington $14.15/hr $29,420
Massachusetts $14.12/hr $29,370
Virginia $13.94/hr $28,990
Pennsylvania $13.93/hr $28,980
New Jersey $13.82/hr $28,740
West Virginia $11.8/hr $24,530


History Programs by State & City