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2023 Best Value History Master's Degree Schools

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

255 Colleges
$12,720 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$38,715 Avg Salary

Finding the Best History Master's Degree School for You

History is the #25 most popular major in the country with 4,391 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value History Master's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 255 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for history students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools in the United States

Check out the history master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in History

#1

Ashland University

Ashland, OH

Our analysis found Ashland University to be the best value school for history students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Ashland is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Ashland.

Ashland graduate students pay an average of $6,972 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on History at Ashland University

Out of the 255 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, American Public University System landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

American Military University graduate students pay an average of $7,050 in tuition and fees each year.

Full History at American Public University System Report

Out of the 255 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the # 3 spot on the list. ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the city of Scottsdale.

ASU - Skysong graduate students pay an average of $9,982 in tuition and fees each year.

Full History at Arizona State University - Skysong Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Mankato.

Minnesota State Mankato graduate students pay an average of $9,308 in tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Minnesota State Mankato is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best History Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read full report on History at Minnesota State University - Mankato

#5

Westfield State University

Westfield, MA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Westfield State University is a great value for history students working on their master’s degree. Westfield is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Westfield.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Westfield are $6,696 per year.

Full History at Westfield State University Report

Illinois State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Illinois State graduate students pay an average of $11,773 in tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Illinois State also is in the top 20% of our Best History Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Read full report on History at Illinois State University

#7

Worcester State University

Worcester, MA

Worcester State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Worcester, Worcester State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Worcester State are $5,796 per year.

Read full report on History at Worcester State University

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for history students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a fairly large student population.

SIUE graduate students pay an average of $9,316 in tuition and fees each year.

Full History at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

#9

Salisbury University

Salisbury, MD

Salisbury University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Salisbury is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Salisbury.

Salisbury graduate students pay an average of $15,765 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Salisbury also did well on our Best History Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on History at Salisbury University

University of Nebraska at Kearney came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNK are $14,982 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNK also is in the top 20% of our Best History Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Read More…

#11

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, MA

Fitchburg State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for history students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Fitchburg State are $6,012 a year.

Full History at Fitchburg State University Report

Northern Illinois University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at NIU are $11,390 a year.

Read More…

Citadel Military College of South Carolina came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Charleston, The Citadel is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at The Citadel are $18,540 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, The Citadel also is in the top 20% of our Best History Master’s Degree Schools ranking.

Read More…

#14

Providence College

Providence, RI

With a ranking of #14, Providence College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for history students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Providence, Providence is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Providence are $9,750 per year.

Read More…

Western Illinois University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Macomb.

WIU graduate students pay an average of $12,182 in tuition and fees each year.

Full History at Western Illinois University Report

#16

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, TX

Tarleton State University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree history programs. Tarleton is a large public school located in the remote town of Stephenville.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Tarleton are $15,031 a year.

Full History at Tarleton State University Report

#17

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for history students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 a year.

Read full report on History at Liberty University

Millersville University of Pennsylvania ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Millersville is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Millersville.

Millersville graduate students pay an average of $16,794 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools ranking. East Stroudsburg University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of East Stroudsburg.

East Stroudsburg University graduate students pay an average of $16,728 in tuition and fees each year.

Full History at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Report

With a ranking of #20, Texas A&M University - Commerce did quite well on this year’s best value schools for history students working on their master’s degree. Located in the distant town of Commerce, Texas A&M Commerce is a public school with a large student population.

Texas A&M Commerce graduate students pay an average of $14,682 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#21

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, TX

Sam Houston State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. SHSU is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Huntsville.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SHSU are $16,009 a year.

Read More…

With a ranking of #22, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for history students working on their master’s degree. SRU is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.

SRU graduate students pay an average of $18,216 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on History at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Texas Woman’s University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value History Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Denton, TWU is a public school with a large student population.

TWU graduate students pay an average of $15,048 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#23

Rowan University

Glassboro, NJ

With a ranking of #23, Rowan University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for history students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Glassboro, Rowan is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Rowan are $16,146 per year.

Full History at Rowan University Report

West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree history programs. Located in the large suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at WCUPA are $16,758 per year.

Full History at West Chester University of Pennsylvania Report

Rest of the Top Best Value History Master's Degree Schools

#26

Columbus State University

Columbus, GA
#27

Norwich University

Northfield, VT
#28

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX
#31

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA
#37

Monmouth University

West Long Branch, NJ
#38

University of Delaware

Newark, DE

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value History Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
39 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
40 University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR
41 Salem State University Salem, MA
42 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
43 The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX
44 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
45 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
46 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
47 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
48 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
49 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
49 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
51 University of North Alabama Florence, AL

History by Region

View the Best Value History Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

History Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
History 4,391

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 199,724
Psychology 42,013
Social Sciences 22,292
Communication & Journalism 12,242
Library Science 5,929

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Abraham Ortelius.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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