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Public Universities
University of California, University of Texas, Arizona State University
History Teachers, Postsecondary
History teachers at the college level help students read primary sources, compare interpretations, and build arguments about the past. The work blends lectures, discussion, grading, and advising, but the big tradeoff is that the field is highly educated and only barely growing, with projected employment essentially flat and most jobs requiring a doctorate.
Also known as History ProfessorCollege History InstructorHistory LecturerAdjunct History InstructorPostsecondary History Instructor
Median Salary
$81,500
Mean $93,710
U.S. Workforce
~20K
1.7K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+-0.2%
24.6K to 24.6K
Entry Education
Doctoral or professional degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
History Teachers, Postsecondary sits in the Education category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~20K workers, with a median annual pay of $81,500 and roughly 1.7K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to decline from 24.6 K in 2024 to 24.6K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Doctoral degree in history or a related field, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Graduate Teaching Assistant and can progress toward Professor or Department Chair. High-value skills usually include Public Speaking & Lecture Delivery, Academic Reading, Source Analysis & Research Databases, and Course Planning, Syllabus Design & Learning Outcomes, paired with soft skills such as Clear communication, Active listening, and Patience.
Core Responsibilities
- Help students choose courses, understand degree requirements, and think through career options.
- Lead class sessions where students discuss readings, historical events, and competing interpretations.
- Create and grade quizzes, exams, essays, and research papers.
- Meet with students during office hours to answer questions and give feedback on their work.
Keep exploring: more Education careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Help students choose courses, understand degree requirements, and think through career options.
02 Lead class sessions where students discuss readings, historical events, and competing interpretations.
03 Create and grade quizzes, exams, essays, and research papers.
04 Meet with students during office hours to answer questions and give feedback on their work.
05 Stay current in the field by reading new scholarship and attending academic conferences.
06 Keep attendance, grades, and other course records organized and up to date.
Industries That Hire
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Private Liberal Arts Colleges
Amherst College, Williams College, Wesleyan University
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Community Colleges
Miami Dade College, Houston Community College, Santa Monica College
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Online Higher Education
Southern New Hampshire University, Western Governors University, University of Phoenix
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Research Universities
Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Chicago
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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The pay is fairly strong for teaching work, with a median annual wage of $81,500 and a mean of $93,710.
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There is no required on-the-job training, so once you meet the education requirement you can move straight into teaching.
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The job lets you spend your time on historical ideas, sources, and debate instead of routine production work.
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Semester schedules and office hours can make the rhythm of the job more predictable than shift-based work.
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Even in a small field, there are about 1.7K annual openings, so jobs do open up on a regular basis.
Challenges
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Employment is projected to be basically flat, with a 0.2% decline and only about 1.7K annual openings, so this is not a fast-growing field.
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The standard entry requirement is a doctoral or professional degree, which means years of school before you reach the salary level shown here.
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The median pay of $81,500 can feel modest when weighed against the cost and time needed to earn a doctorate.
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A large share of the work is grading, record keeping, and office hours, not just teaching engaging lectures.
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The job market is shaped by higher education budgets and enrollment swings, and many openings are temporary or adjunct roles rather than stable tenure-track posts.
Career Progression
Graduate Teaching Assistant
0-3 years
$35K-$50K
You support courses, lead discussion sections, and build teaching experience while finishing advanced study.
Assistant Professor of History
3-7 years
$55K-$75K
You teach several courses each term, advise students, and start balancing teaching with scholarship or publication work.
History Teacher, Postsecondary THIS ROLE
7-12 years
$79K-$103K
You teach, advise, and handle grading and course management with enough experience to run classes independently.
Associate Professor of History
12-18 years
$104K-$130K
You take on heavier advising, committee work, and leadership in the department while teaching advanced courses.
Professor or Department Chair
18+ years
$131K-$165K
You lead programs, mentor junior faculty, shape curriculum, and often carry major service and administrative duties.
Education Paths
Doctoral degree in history or a related field
This is the BLS typical entry path, and the provided O*NET distribution shows 0%, which suggests the dataset is sparse even though this is the standard route.
Master's degree in history, public history, or a related social science
A master's can help with adjunct, community college, or prep-school teaching, but the provided O*NET distribution still shows 0% for this path.
Graduate certificate in college teaching or a related teaching credential
This can strengthen classroom practice and hiring prospects, although the provided O*NET distribution shows 0% and it usually does not replace a doctorate for full-time college jobs.
Key Skills
Technical
Public Speaking & Lecture Delivery 88%
Academic Reading, Source Analysis & Research Databases 81%
Course Planning, Syllabus Design & Learning Outcomes 78%
Academic Writing, Essay Feedback & Grading Systems 78%
Seminar Facilitation, Canvas, Blackboard & Moodle 75%
Historical Research Methods, JSTOR, Project MUSE & Zotero 72%
Soft Skills
Clear communicationActive listeningPatienceOrganizationCritical thinkingMentoring Job Outlook and Trends
+-0.2%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
1.7K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 24.6K to 24.6 K over the next decade, representing -0.2% growth. Around 1.7 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Limited. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.