What you’ll learn in this article…
- BLS data shows secondary teachers at the 90th percentile earn over $104,000 annually.
- An M.Ed. in history education focuses on pedagogy while an M.A. deepens content expertise.
- Contact your district HR before enrolling to confirm tuition reimbursement eligibility.
History teachers researching graduate programs run into a specific problem: most M.Ed. degrees are built for generic secondary education, with a single social studies methods course tacked on. A recent r/teaching thread asking for secondary M.Ed. recommendations drew the usual vague responses,1 which points to a real gap in peer guidance for subject-specific advancement.
The programs profiled here are fully online, range from 30 to 36 credits, and include enough history content (often 15 to 18 credits) to qualify graduates for dual-credit teaching under HLC and regional accreditor rules. Balancing teaching and grad school is more manageable in these formats, where part-time completion while working full time is the norm.
Salary lane changes for a master's typically run $2,000 to $10,000 annually depending on district schedule, so tuition costs between roughly $10,000 and $16,000 tend to pay back within three to five years for teachers who stay in the classroom.
Best Fully Online Master's in History Education Programs
Every program below is delivered fully online, with no hybrid format and no required campus visits, so a working teacher can complete the degree from home. All are accredited graduate programs, and the tuition figures shown are graduate tuition for the specific degree rather than a general institutional average. Each entry notes whether the program carries a genuine history or social studies concentration or a general secondary education track.
- Net price after financial aid
- Student completion and graduation rates
- Program cost and online delivery
- Faculty ratio and retention
- History and social studies curriculum depth
- Federal College Scorecard outcomes data — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering graduation rates, retention rates and student-faculty ratios — nces.ed.gov
- Program-level records maintained in house
- Independent editorial research
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock, PA | $13,000/yr | Pennsylvania social studies teachers advancing certification | |
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is a public institution and a long-standing leader in teacher preparation within the state. Its CAEP-accredited graduate education programs are built for certified teachers who want to deepen subject expertise without leaving the classroom. Pennsylvania residents pay substantially lower graduate tuition than out-of-state students, and the university offers conditional admission to applicants who fall short of the GPA minimum but can meet program requirements later.
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| #2 | Liberty University | Lynchburg, VA | $9,000/yr | Private school educators avoiding licensure tracks | |
Liberty University is a large private university in Lynchburg, Virginia, regionally accredited by SACSCOC and known for an extensive online catalog. Graduate education offerings include a fully online curriculum and instruction degree with a history emphasis, which suits licensed teachers, private school instructors, and educators in settings that do not require state licensure. Terms run in eight-week blocks throughout the year, and military students receive a reduced tuition rate. No entrance examMilitary benefits
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| #3 | Northwest Missouri State University | Maryville, MO | $5,000 – $10,000/yr | Teachers qualifying for dual-credit history | |
Northwest Missouri State University is a public institution in Maryville with AAQEP-accredited educator preparation and a strong regional reputation among Missouri school districts. The online master's in teaching history blends education core courses with graduate history electives and a teaching portfolio capstone. Accelerated seven-week courses and four start dates a year are designed around the K-12 calendar, and transfer credits are accepted for teachers who have already begun graduate work.
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| #4 | Northwestern College | Orange City, IA | ~$7,000/yr (est.) | ||
Northwestern College is a private Christian institution in Orange City, Iowa, whose educator preparation programs are approved by the Iowa Department of Education. Its online master's in teaching history carries 18 credits of history content, enough to satisfy the graduate coursework that many dual and concurrent enrollment frameworks require of high school instructors. Coursework is asynchronous with rolling admissions, and students choose between a capstone and a research pathway. No entrance examRolling admissionsTest optional
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| #5 | East Texas Baptist University | Marshall, TX | $8,000/yr | ||
East Texas Baptist University is a private Christian university in Marshall, Texas, with educator preparation accredited by the Texas Education Agency. Its online M.Ed. pairs 18 hours of graduate history with 12 hours of education foundations, a split that positions graduates to teach college-level and dual-credit courses. Students may attend live sessions or work asynchronously, and terms begin in spring, summer, and fall.
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| #6 | University of West Alabama | Livingston, AL | $7,000 – $14,000/yr | ||
The University of West Alabama is a public institution in Livingston that serves many rural and regional school districts through its online programs. Its M.Ed. in high school education with a history concentration leads to Alabama Advanced Professional Certification and includes a required comprehensive examination covering both content and pedagogy. Each student is assigned a personal success coach, and eight-week terms let working teachers finish the degree in about a year.
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M.A. In History Vs. M.ed. In History Education: Which Degree Is Right for You?
Choosing between a Master of Arts in History and a Master of Education in History Education often comes down to whether you prioritize discipline-specific expertise or classroom application.
Primary Audience and Career Outcomes
The M.A. in History is built for content specialists. These programs assume you want to become a historian first and a teacher second. Coursework centers on historiography, primary-source research, and advanced seminars in subfields (early American, modern Europe, global studies). Graduates are credentialed to teach at the community-college level and well-positioned for doctoral programs. The M.Ed. in History Education, by contrast, is designed for licensed K-12 teachers who want to deepen pedagogical skills while advancing on their district salary schedule. Core courses address differentiated instruction, assessment design, and integration of historical thinking frameworks into middle and high school classrooms.
Dual-Enrollment and Community College Eligibility
Regional accreditors typically require 18 graduate credit hours in a discipline to teach dual-enrollment or community college courses in that subject.1 An M.A. in History satisfies this standard by default (most programs award 30 graduate credits entirely in history).2 An M.Ed. in History Education can meet the threshold if the program includes at least 18 credits of graduate-level history coursework, but not all do.3 If you plan to teach dual-enrollment sections in your high school or adjunct at a community college, verify transcript alignment with your accreditor's rules before enrolling.
Licensure and Salary-Lane Advancement
Most state departments of education accept any regionally accredited master's degree for salary-lane advancement and continuing licensure, whether the degree is an M.A. or M.Ed. However, an M.A. in History alone does not satisfy initial teacher licensure requirements (those programs lack supervised clinical practice and pedagogy coursework). If you hold a teaching license, either degree will move you up the pay scale. If you do not yet hold a license, you need a licensure-eligible program (typically an M.Ed. or M.A.T.).
Cost, Time, and Format
M.Ed. programs in History Education are generally faster and less expensive than M.A. programs in History. balancing teaching and grad school is more practical in an online M.Ed. format, where part-time completion in 12 to 18 months is common at tuition rates between $12,000 and $20,000. M.A. programs in History typically require 24 to 36 months, include a thesis or comprehensive exam, and cost $20,000 to $40,000 at public institutions (higher at private universities).
Which Path Fits You?
- Classroom veteran aiming for salary-lane advancement: Choose an M.Ed. in History Education. You will complete the degree faster, pay less, and gain immediately applicable classroom strategies.
- Teacher eyeing community college or a doctoral program: Choose an M.A. in History. You will build discipline-specific credentials and preserve the option to continue into a Ph.D. program.
- Aspiring dual-enrollment instructor: Confirm that your chosen program awards at least 18 graduate credits in history coursework, whether it is an M.A. or M.Ed.
What You'll Study: Core Courses and Curriculum Focus Areas
What exactly do you learn in a master's in history education that you don't get from a general secondary education degree? While both degrees prepare you for advanced teaching roles, a program focused on history education packs in discipline-specific methods, deeper content exploration, and targeted electives that shape how you teach events, sources, and historical reasoning. Here's the typical curriculum arc and what you can expect.
Core Curriculum: Historical Thinking and Pedagogy
Most programs open with courses that reframe how students construct historical knowledge. You'll typically take a course on historical thinking and inquiry methods, which moves past lecture-based teaching and into primary source analysis, sourcing, contextualization, and corroboration. Social studies pedagogy courses then apply those methods to secondary classrooms, showing you how to design lessons that mirror the work of historians. Curriculum and instruction coursework often follows, where you learn to build units, develop assessments aligned to state standards (such as the C3 Framework), and integrate civics and geography. A capstone or action research project commonly caps the degree, letting you investigate a real classroom challenge like improving document-based question (DBQ) performance and present evidence-based solutions.
Electives That Make History Programs Stand Out
Strong history education programs differentiate themselves through elective offerings that general secondary education M.Ed. tracks rarely include. Look for electives like civic education and democratic engagement, which prepare you to teach informed citizenship rather than just chronologies. Courses on preparing students for AP U.S. History or AP World History are especially valuable, covering pacing, exam format, and writing skills unique to those courses. Primary source analysis seminars teach you to select, critique, and scaffold complex texts from archives. Geographic literacy courses often combine spatial reasoning with history, helping students understand how geography shaped events. These electives give you tangible classroom assets that colleagues without a specialized history M.Ed. often have to learn on the job.
How This Degree Differs from a General Secondary Ed M.Ed.
A general secondary education M.Ed. typically covers broad instructional strategies, classroom management, and adolescent development, with perhaps one social studies methods course. A history/social studies concentration, by contrast, dedicates a significant chunk of credit hours to history-specific content pedagogy and often requires you to complete more advanced history coursework. This means you graduate with a deeper toolkit for tackling historical thinking standards, crafting DBQs, and leading seminars, skills that directly boost student engagement and test scores in history.
Program Length and Practical Components
Most history education M.Ed. programs fall in the 30- to 36-credit range. In online formats, you can often complete the degree in 18 to 24 months while teaching full time, though these figures vary and you should confirm them with each program. Even fully online, licensure-aligned programs usually embed a supervised field or clinical component, which might involve mentoring, video-recorded lessons, or a semester-long student teaching placement. Before enrolling, verify whether your chosen program arranges placements in your district or requires you to secure your own site, as this can affect your workload and timeline.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Licensure, Endorsements, and Dual-Enrollment Qualification Pathways
Licensure is the state-issued permission to teach in a public school classroom, and endorsements are subject-specific add-ons attached to that license. A master's degree can serve three very different licensure purposes, and knowing which one applies to your situation determines which program you should be looking at.
Three Distinct Licensure Scenarios
Before you compare programs, identify which of these you actually need:
- Initial licensure for career changers: If you hold a bachelor's in history but never earned a teaching credential, you need an M.Ed. that includes an approved educator preparation program (EPP). In Texas, for example, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) issues the Standard Classroom Teacher Certificate in Social Studies 7-12 only after you complete a TEA-approved EPP and pass the Social Studies 7-12 TExES exam.1 Programs like Texas State University's M.Ed. in Secondary Education with Certification2 and Texas A&M's Distance Education Teacher Certification Program3 bundle the master's degree with initial certification.
- License renewal and continuing education: Most states require ongoing graduate credit or professional development to renew a standard teaching license. Any regionally accredited M.Ed. typically satisfies this requirement, but confirm with your state board.
- Adding a social studies or history endorsement: If you are already licensed in another subject (say, English) and want to teach history, you generally need to pass the state's content-area exam and, in some states, complete additional coursework. An M.Ed. concentration in history education can support this transition.
Advanced Licensure Tiers
Several states move teachers up a license tier once they complete an approved master's. In Texas, an M.Ed. tied to a TEA-approved program is a prerequisite for the Principal Certificate and for certain advanced roles.1 Verify with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) that any online program you consider is regionally accredited and recognized in your state. You can also compare M.Ed. programs by state to see which programs meet regional accreditation and state-recognition standards before you apply.
Dual-Enrollment and Community College Teaching
Here is the pathway most M.Ed. candidates misunderstand. Regional accreditors including the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and SACSCOC generally require dual-enrollment and community college instructors to hold a master's degree with at least 18 graduate credit hours in the teaching discipline itself, meaning history, not education. A pedagogy-heavy M.Ed. usually will not qualify on its own. If teaching dual-credit or community college courses is part of your plan, either choose an M.Ed. with a substantial history concentration (18+ graduate history credits) or pair a lighter M.Ed. with a discipline-based M.A. in History. Before enrolling, ask the program directly whether recent graduates have been credentialed for dual-enrollment assignments, and verify requirements with your state board and the high schools or colleges where you hope to teach.
Career Outcomes and Salary Impact for History Teachers With a Master's Degree
How much more will a master's degree actually put in your pocket as a history teacher, and is it worth the tuition?
The National Baseline
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for secondary school teachers (SOC 25-2031) was $64,580 as of 2024.1 The middle half of earners fell between roughly $54,290 and $83,340, while those at the 90th percentile earned upward of $106,380.2 These figures cover all secondary teachers nationally, including history and social studies educators. What moves a teacher from the lower end of that range toward the upper end is often a combination of experience and education level, both of which are formalized in district pay structures.
How the Salary Lane Change Works
Most public school districts use a single salary schedule that assigns teachers to "lanes" based on their highest degree earned and "steps" based on years of service. Earning a master's degree typically moves a teacher one or two lanes to the right, which translates to a pay bump of roughly 5 to 15 percent over a bachelor's-level salary.2 In dollar terms, that premium ranges from about $2,000 to $10,000 per year depending on the district and where you fall on the step scale. Early-career teachers with limited experience often see an initial increase of $2,000 to $4,000, but the differential compounds over time because each annual step increase applies to the higher base lane. Over a 20-year career, a $4,000 annual lane increase adds up to $80,000 or more in cumulative additional earnings before factoring in step growth. For a fuller picture of how these lane premiums compare across roles and states, the master's in education salary guide breaks down earning potential by specialization.
What Graduates of These Programs Report
Program-level earnings data for history-focused M.Ed. completers are not yet published for the programs featured in this guide. That means we cannot point to a specific median salary one or four years after graduation for programs at schools like Slippery Rock University, Northwest Missouri State University, or the University of West Alabama. Until those figures become available, the BLS occupational benchmarks and district salary schedule data remain the most reliable way to estimate your post-degree earning power.
A Simple ROI Calculation
Most fully online M.Ed. programs in history education cost between roughly $7,000 and $16,000 in total tuition. Even at the higher end of that range, say $15,000 to $25,000 including fees, the math is straightforward. If your district's lane change nets you an additional $3,000 to $6,000 per year, you break even in roughly three to five years. After that, the salary premium is pure gain for every remaining year of your career. For a data-driven look at whether the credential pays off overall, the ROI of a master's in education is worth reviewing before you commit to a program.
Consider a concrete example: a teacher paying $12,210 in total tuition (the published cost at Northwest Missouri State) who earns a $4,000 annual lane increase recoups the full investment in just over three years. If that same teacher stays in the profession for another 15 years beyond break-even, the net lifetime return exceeds $60,000.
District Tuition Reimbursement Shortens the Timeline
Many districts offer tuition reimbursement ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 per year for teachers enrolled in approved graduate programs. This benefit can cut your out-of-pocket cost in half or more, dramatically shortening the payback period. The catch is that your program must meet your district's accreditation criteria. Regionally accredited programs with CAEP or AAQEP recognition, like several of the programs profiled elsewhere in this guide, typically qualify. Before you enroll, confirm eligibility with your HR office. Teachers who skip this step sometimes discover too late that their district will not reimburse coursework from a program that lacks the right accreditation stamp.
The bottom line: a master's in history education is one of the more financially defensible graduate investments a teacher can make, provided you choose an affordable, accredited program and verify that your district's salary schedule rewards the credential.
History Teacher Salary: National and Occupational Benchmarks
The table below draws on the most recent Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 data) to show where history related occupations fall on the pay scale. Keep in mind that these are national medians. The real salary impact of earning a master's degree typically comes through district salary lane changes, which can add several thousand dollars per year on top of the base figures shown here. Those lane change dynamics are discussed in the career outcomes section above.
| Occupation | Total National Employment | 25th Percentile Salary | Median Salary | 75th Percentile Salary | Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary School Teachers (Except Special and Career/Technical Education) | 1,072,540 | $57,800 | $64,580 | $83,010 | $73,700 |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | 19,860 | $62,370 | $81,500 | $106,770 | $93,710 |
| Historians | 3,140 | $55,190 | $74,050 | $96,330 | $78,470 |
Related Articles
How to Choose the Right Program: Accreditation, Cost, and District Reimbursement
Choosing the right master's program comes down to four practical factors that determine whether the degree will actually pay off: the type of accreditation the school holds, whether the program has a genuine history or social studies concentration, what the degree costs after any employer help, and whether the licensure it offers matches your state's rules. Work through these in order, and most programs will screen themselves out before you ever fill out an application.
Accreditation: Regional vs. CAEP
Regional accreditation (now called institutional accreditation) is the baseline most districts require for tuition reimbursement. Newark Board of Education, for example, reimburses coursework only at regionally accredited or duly authorized institutions, capped at six credits per year at the state college rate.1 Plainfield Public Schools reimburses up to 12 credits annually at the New Jersey state university rate, requires a minimum grade of B-, and enforces application deadlines of July 15, November 15, and April 15 for fall, winter/spring, and summer terms.2 Minnesota's ISD 622 covers tuition only at accredited schools and requires a four-year service commitment after reimbursement.3
CAEP accreditation (formerly NCATE) is a separate layer that credentials the educator preparation program itself. It matters for licensure portability and, in some states, for hiring preference, but it is not usually the deciding factor for reimbursement eligibility. Both types of accreditation serve different purposes, and strong programs often carry both.
Matching the Program to Your Career Stage
New teachers pursuing initial licensure should prioritize state alignment and a supervised clinical placement, even in an online format. Without those, the degree may not translate into a teaching credential in your state. Choosing a master's in education specialization that aligns with licensure requirements in your state is a critical early step.
Veteran teachers using a master's for salary lane movement have a different calculus. Cost per credit hour and reimbursement eligibility dominate. An affordable, regionally accredited fully online program with a history concentration is usually the right fit.
Get Pre-Approval Before You Enroll
One step teachers routinely skip: get the program pre-approved by your district's HR office before you enroll. Newark, Plainfield, and ISD 622 all require prior authorization.123 New York state law caps certain reimbursements at $4,200.4 Sending an email to HR with the program name, credit count, and cost takes ten minutes and can save you thousands.
Career Pathway: From Licensed Teacher to Master's-Level Advancement
Most history teachers who pursue a master's degree do so while working full time. The pathway below reflects the real sequence that working educators typically follow, from initial licensure through the salary and credential gains a graduate degree unlocks.
Frequently Asked Questions About Master's in History Education Programs
History teachers exploring graduate programs often encounter overlapping degree titles, conflicting licensure advice, and unclear salary implications. The questions below address the issues that come up most often when educators weigh their options.
Can I be a teacher with a master's in history (not a master's in education)?
It depends on your state. An M.A. in History alone typically does not satisfy initial K-12 licensure requirements because it lacks the pedagogy coursework and student-teaching component states mandate. Some states offer alternative certification routes that accept a content master's degree alongside a teaching preparation program. However, an M.A. in History may qualify you to teach dual-enrollment or community college courses, where discipline expertise matters more than a teaching license.
What is the difference between a master's in history and a master's in history education?
An M.A. in History focuses on discipline content mastery: historiography, archival research, and original scholarship. An M.Ed. in History Education centers on pedagogy, curriculum design, and classroom practice specific to social studies instruction. The career outcomes differ accordingly. The M.A. prepares you for postsecondary teaching or doctoral study, while the M.Ed. is built to advance K-12 classroom teachers, satisfy licensure requirements, and unlock salary lane changes on district pay schedules.
Does a master's degree increase a history teacher's salary?
Yes. Most public school districts use salary schedules with "lanes" tied to education level. Moving from the bachelor's lane to the master's lane typically adds roughly $2,000 to $7,000 per year, depending on the district. Over a full career, that premium can be substantial. Many teachers recoup tuition costs within three to five years, especially when employer reimbursement or federal loan forgiveness programs are factored in. See the salary benchmarks section above for national data.
Can I teach dual enrollment or community college courses with a master's in history education?
Possibly, but your transcript matters more than your degree title. Regional accreditors generally require instructors of college-level courses to hold at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline. An M.Ed. in History Education may not include enough pure history coursework to meet that threshold. If dual-enrollment eligibility is a priority, verify how many discipline-specific credits your program provides or plan to supplement with additional graduate history electives.
What are the best online master's programs for history teachers?
The ranked section earlier in this article highlights fully online programs evaluated on factors such as accreditation, affordability, curriculum relevance, and flexibility for working teachers. Because "best" depends on your licensure state, career goals, and budget, we recommend using that list as a starting point and then cross-checking each program against your state's endorsement requirements and your district's tuition reimbursement policies.
How long does it take to complete a master's in history education online?
Most fully online programs require 30 to 36 credit hours and can be completed in 18 to 24 months by teachers studying full time alongside their classroom responsibilities. Part-time enrollment may extend the timeline to 30 months or longer. Accelerated formats, prior credit transfers, and summer-intensive schedules can shorten duration, so check individual program structures before committing to a timeline.
