History Teachers, Postsecondary

Salary Overview

Job Outlook (2024–2034)

Key Skills

Knowledge Areas

What They Do

• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as ancient history, postwar civilizations, and the history of third-world countries.
• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
• Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.

Tools & Technology

★ = Hot Technology (in-demand)

Education Requirements

Typical entry-level education: Related Work Experience

Related Careers

Featured In

Careers with the highest skill compatibility from History Teachers, Postsecondary.

A Day in the Life

A postsecondary history teacher's day varies by whether it's a teaching day or a research day, with most professors having 2-3 days of scheduled classes per week. Teaching days begin with final lecture preparation, reviewing notes, and organizing visual materials or primary source documents for class discussion. Classes might range from a 200-student introductory survey course on Western Civilization to a 12-person advanced seminar on a specialized topic like Cold War diplomacy. Between classes, office hours provide time for one-on-one meetings with students seeking guidance on papers, research projects, or career advice. Non-teaching days are devoted to research activities: reading secondary literature, analyzing primary sources in archives or digital databases, and writing articles or book manuscripts. Grading essays, exams, and research papers consumes substantial time, particularly during midterm and finals periods. Faculty meetings, committee service, thesis defenses, and curriculum planning fill additional hours throughout the semester. Evenings might involve attending a guest lecture, participating in a departmental colloquium, or reviewing manuscripts for academic journals.

Work Environment

Postsecondary history teachers work primarily on college and university campuses, splitting time between classrooms, offices, libraries, and archives. The academic calendar provides a structured rhythm, with intensive teaching periods during fall and spring semesters and more flexible summer months for research and writing. Intellectual community is a defining feature of the environment, with colleagues sharing ideas through departmental seminars, reading groups, and informal discussions. Academic freedom allows professors considerable latitude in designing courses, choosing research topics, and expressing scholarly opinions. The tenure process creates significant stress during the first six years, with the pressure to publish original research while maintaining effective teaching. Class sizes vary dramatically, from large lecture halls with hundreds of students at research universities to intimate seminars at liberal arts colleges. Conference travel provides opportunities to present research, network with scholars worldwide, and visit archives in different countries. Remote teaching capabilities expanded during the pandemic and continue to offer flexibility, though most institutions expect regular on-campus presence.

Career Path & Advancement

A bachelor's degree in history is the starting point, followed by a master's degree and then a PhD, which is required for most tenure-track positions at four-year institutions. PhD programs in history typically take 6-8 years and involve intensive coursework, foreign language proficiency requirements, comprehensive qualifying exams, and a book-length dissertation. During graduate school, students gain teaching experience as teaching assistants and eventually as instructors of record for their own courses. After completing the PhD, many historians spend 1-3 years in postdoctoral fellowships or visiting assistant professor positions before securing more permanent employment. The tenure track begins at the assistant professor level, with a review for tenure and promotion to associate professor typically occurring after 6 years of teaching, research, and service. Full professor rank follows additional years of distinguished scholarly contribution and professional service. Community college positions typically require a master's degree and emphasize teaching over research, offering an alternative path for those prioritizing classroom instruction. Administrative roles such as department chair, dean, or provost are available to experienced faculty who demonstrate leadership capabilities.

Specializations

History faculty specialize by geographic region and chronological period, creating a rich diversity of expertise across departments. American historians might focus on the colonial era, Civil War and Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, or post-1945 social movements. European history specialists study periods from ancient Greece and Rome through medieval, early modern, and contemporary Europe. Historians of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East bring global perspectives that are increasingly valued as departments diversify their curricula. Thematic specializations cut across regions, including gender and sexuality history, environmental history, history of science and technology, and labor history. Digital history professors incorporate computational methods, data visualization, and digital archives into both their teaching and research. Public history faculty prepare students for careers in museums, archives, cultural resource management, and heritage tourism. Historiography and historical methods courses are taught by faculty with expertise in how historical knowledge is produced, debated, and revised over time.

Pros & Cons

Industry Insight

The academic job market for history professors has been challenging for over a decade, with departments facing budget pressures and hiring fewer tenure-track positions relative to the number of PhD graduates. However, retirements of baby boomer faculty are gradually opening positions, particularly in areas like digital history and global/transnational history. Community colleges and teaching-intensive institutions represent growing employment opportunities for historians who prioritize classroom excellence. Online education continues to expand, with some institutions hiring history faculty specifically for asynchronous and hybrid course delivery. Interdisciplinary programs in areas like data science and humanities, environmental studies, and public policy increasingly seek historians who can contribute cross-disciplinary perspectives. Public engagement through podcasts, popular writing, and social media is becoming a valued skill that can enhance both a scholar's profile and their institution's reputation. The push for diversity in faculty hiring is creating new opportunities for historians from underrepresented backgrounds and those studying previously marginalized communities. Assessment and outcomes-based education trends require history faculty to articulate the measurable skills and competencies their courses develop in students.