Best Historian programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such.
44 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 895 people a year. The job pays a median of $89,670 in Illinois across about — jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
8 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | History, Generalmain feeder CIP 54.0101In Illinois → | 854 | 95.4% | 42 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 2 | Architectural History and Criticism, Generalmain feeder CIP 04.0801In Illinois → | 12 | 1.3% | 2 | $30,189 | $25,000 |
| 3 | Public/Applied Historymain feeder CIP 54.0105In Illinois → | 7 | 0.8% | 1 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 4 | CIP 30.2202In Illinois → | 7 | 0.8% | 2 | $32,054 | $24,000 |
| 5 | CIP 54.0104In Illinois → | 6 | 0.7% | 1 | $31,217 | $24,000 |
| 6 | CIP 30.4601In Illinois → | 6 | 0.7% | 1 | — | — |
| 7 | CIP 30.1201In Illinois → | 2 | 0.2% | 1 | $35,326 | $22,812 |
| 8 | Medieval and Renaissance Studiesmain feeder CIP 30.1301In Illinois → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | — | — |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 44 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 134 | History, General | $40,465 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 2 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 103 | History, General | $26,436 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 3 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 71 | History, General | $46,616 | 96% | $13,333 | 4% |
| 4 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 67 | History, General | $31,079 | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 5 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 67 | History, General | $50,161 | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 6 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 45 | History, General | $36,889 | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 7 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 44 | History, General | $33,288 | 49% | — | 70% |
| 8 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 43 | History, General | $26,474 | 62% | — | 77% |
| 9 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | History, General | $26,916 | 57% | — | 97% |
| 10 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 36 | History, General | $32,149 | 47% | — | 65% |
| 11 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 24 | History, General | $33,297 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 12 | Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | History, General | $30,101 | 62% | — | 87% |
| 13 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 17 | History, General | — | 45% | — | 71% |
| 14 | Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 15 | History, General | — | 78% | $25,052 | 57% |
| 15 | Aurora University Aurora, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | History, General | — | 60% | $18,431 | 81% |
| 16 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | History, General | — | 15% | — | 43% |
| 17 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | History, General | — | 70% | $20,794 | 74% |
| 18 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | History, General | $39,102 | 22% | — | 75% |
| 19 | Augustana College Rock Island, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | History, General | — | 73% | $14,960 | 63% |
| 20 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | History, General | — | 85% | $23,461 | 87% |
| 21 | Knox College Galesburg, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 9 | History, General | — | 68% | $24,240 | 71% |
| 22 | North Park University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | History, General | — | 58% | $18,494 | 69% |
| 23 | Roosevelt University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | History, General | — | 35% | $21,085 | 97% |
| 24 | Eureka College Eureka, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | History and Political Science | — | 42% | $22,446 | 85% |
| 25 | Illinois College Jacksonville, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | History, General | — | 64% | $15,786 | 78% |
All 44 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State University | Normal | Public | 134 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign | Champaign | Public | 103 | 1 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 71 | 2 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 67 | 2 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 67 | 2 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 45 | 2 |
| Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public | 44 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | 43 | 3 |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public | 42 | 1 |
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public | 36 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Springfield | Springfield | Public | 24 | 1 |
| Southern Illinois University - Carbondale | Carbondale | Public | 18 | 1 |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public | 17 | 1 |
| Lake Forest College | Lake Forest | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 1 |
| Aurora University | Aurora | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
What historians earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $76,750. Illinois pays above the national figure.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Historians page.
How to become a Historian
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Illinois
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 24 majors mapped to Historians20 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 04.0801Architectural History and Criticism, General
- 04.0802Architectural Conservation
- 30.1201Historic Preservation and Conservation, General
- 30.1202Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis
- 30.1299Historic Preservation and Conservation, Other
- 30.1301Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- 30.2101Holocaust and Related Studies
- 30.2201Ancient Studies/Civilization
- 30.2202Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology
- 30.2299Classical and Ancient Studies, Other
- 30.2901Maritime Studies
- 30.4501History and Language/Literature(no graduates reported)
- 30.4601History and Political Science
- 51.3204Medical/Health Humanities
- 51.3205History of Medicine(no graduates reported)
- 54.0101History, General
- 54.0102American History (United States)
- 54.0103European History
- 54.0104History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
- 54.0105Public/Applied History
- 54.0106Asian History(no graduates reported)
- 54.0107Canadian History(no graduates reported)
- 54.0108Military History
- 54.0199History, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing historians programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Historian?+
Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is History, General, which awarded 854 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 95.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Historian?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are History, Architectural History, Classical and Ancient Studies, History and Political Science, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 895 people a year in Illinois.
How much do historians earn in Illinois?+
The median is $89,670 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 16.8% above the U.S. median of $76,750. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for historians growing?+
BLS projects a +2.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
44 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do historians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Historian, Researcher, Collections Specialist, Historical Interpreter among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-3093.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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