If your goal is a public-school classroom, an online history bachelor’s can move you toward it—but it won’t usually qualify you by itself. You may finish the degree with the history coursework you need and still need state-approved preparation, supervised teaching practice, and state licensure before you can take that job.
For anyone weighing online history bachelor’s teaching careers, the first decision is whether to choose a teaching-focused program or a standard history degree. The teaching-focused option may combine subject study with educator preparation. A standard history degree may leave that preparation, along with supervised practice and licensure, for a separate step you’ll need to price and schedule.
Key Takeaways
- A teaching-focused history program may combine the major with educator preparation; a standard history degree may not.
- Check the intended state, grade band, and subject area before enrolling.
- Compare the degree’s total cost with the added cost and time of any later licensure program.
The safest route starts with the job you want. Middle school, high school, substitute, private-school, and college teaching roles do not share one national entry rule, so the same degree can lead to different next steps depending on where and what you plan to teach. Before paying an application fee, confirm whether the program leads to educator licensure where you plan to work. If it doesn’t, ask the school to identify the preparation and licensure path you would need afterward, then compare that added commitment with a program that includes educator preparation from the start.
Start With the Classroom Role, Not the Major
For public-school teaching, state approval is the first test. The U.S. Department of Education reports that teacher licensure is generally controlled by each state and that educators usually need a separate license in every state where they practice. An online degree can cross state lines, but its approval may not. The practical question is not simply whether the degree is in history; it is whether the program is built to move you toward the license required for the classroom you want.
Ask the school whether the program leads to initial teacher licensure, which grades it covers, and whether history is licensed alone or within social studies. The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation says its National Council for the Social Studies guidelines cover programs that prepare and recommend candidates for middle- and secondary-school licensure in history and comprehensive social studies. Those details affect the next step: a program designed for licensure may include the preparation and recommendation process, while a history degree without that purpose may leave you arranging teacher preparation separately.
Program titles offer an early clue. Grand Canyon University lists a Bachelor of Arts in History for Secondary Education (ITL), while its separate Bachelor of Arts in History does not make the same teaching purpose clear in the title. That is not a substitute for reading the licensure disclosure, but it shows why two history degrees at one school can serve different goals. Begin with online bachelor's degrees in history and check each program’s intended outcome before treating the degree as a direct route into a classroom.
The route you need depends on what you already have and what you want to teach. A prospective public-school teacher should look for a program that connects coursework with educator preparation, field experience, state approval, and a licensure recommendation. Someone pursuing history for another career may reasonably prefer a history-only degree, but should account for the separate teacher preparation program it may require later. If you’re already licensed, the key question changes: determine whether the history coursework supplies the subject credits needed for a new endorsement rather than assuming any history degree will do.
- Public-school route: Look for educator preparation, field experience, state approval, and a licensure recommendation.
- History-only route: Plan for a separate teacher preparation program if the degree does not include one.
- Already licensed: Confirm whether a history degree adds the subject credits required for a new endorsement.
Online History Bachelor’s Teaching Careers by School Setting
A public middle or high school is the most direct match for a history major, but the degree title still does not settle eligibility. The state may license the subject as history, social studies, or another named field. It may also require exams, background checks, supervised teaching, or courses that are outside a standard history curriculum. That means two graduates with the same degree can face different next steps depending on where they plan to teach. The useful comparison is not simply whether a program is called history; it’s whether its coursework fits the state’s subject requirements and leaves room for any additional licensure work.
Private schools set their own hiring standards within applicable law, so a history bachelor’s may carry more weight without a state teaching license. That flexibility can widen the number of roles you can consider, but it also makes the hiring standard less predictable from the degree title alone. Substitute teaching is another distinct role. Its education and permit rules can differ from those for a full-time classroom teacher, which makes the employer or state licensing office—not a general career page—the proper place to verify eligibility.
The degree also has value outside one job title. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that workers with history degrees had a median annual wage of $70,000 in 2023 and that 1,292,450 were employed. It also found that 60% worked in occupations typically requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, while 50% held an advanced degree. Those figures cover all workers with history degrees, not teachers alone, but they show why the degree should be judged as both subject preparation and a broader credential. If teaching requires an added license or graduate study, that broader value matters: you’re evaluating whether the degree supports more than one route after graduation, not just whether it qualifies you for a classroom.
American Public University System offers a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Arts in Military History. The second title signals a narrower subject focus, not an automatic teaching credential. A narrower program may line up well with a particular content area, while a broader one may leave you comparing more of its courses against state expectations. Compare the course list with the content area your state expects, then review history degree options at every level if your target role may require graduate study.
GetEducated's Picks
- King University Bachelor of Science in History
- Eastern Oregon University Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science in History
- Southwest Minnesota State University Bachelor of Arts in History
See What the Degree Qualifies You for Without Licensure
A history bachelor’s can lead to work built around research, writing, records, and public interpretation, but the degree does not set the same education bar for every role. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says archivists and curators typically need a master’s degree, while museum technicians typically need a bachelor’s degree; history is one related field. That difference matters if you’re comparing a museum position with archival work: similar skills may be useful in both, but the credential expected for entry may not be. A classroom career raises a separate preparation question, so a history degree should be evaluated against the specific role rather than treated as a general qualification for every setting.
Federal archival work provides a more exact example. A National Archives Archivist Development Program qualification calls for a bachelor’s degree in archival science or 18 semester hours in archival science, history, and political science or government, plus 12 semester hours in specified related subjects. In practice, the major alone may not tell you whether your transcript fits the requirement. A history degree can meet much of the subject need while still missing required supporting courses, making elective planning important before you commit to classes that only seem relevant.
Experience can also expose a poor fit before graduate school. National Archives internships are open to current or former bachelor’s or graduate students in history, museum studies, library science, or a related field. The agency says these placements last 10–12 weeks and require at least 100 hours. That kind of placement can help you compare the daily work of handling records, researching collections, or interpreting material for the public before you spend more time and money on specialized education.
- Map required history and social studies courses before selecting electives, then compare that plan with the requirements for the roles you actually want.
- Keep research papers that show source analysis and clear writing. They can give you concrete material to discuss when a position depends on those skills.
- Seek classroom, museum, archive, or public-history experience tied to the intended role. The setting matters because the same history coursework can lead to very different daily work.
- Consider career-change uses for a liberal arts bachelor's if teaching is one of several goals. It can help you weigh classroom preparation against the education and experience expected in museum or archival work.
Price the Whole Route, Not Just the History Degree
A low-priced history degree can become an expensive teaching route if it leaves educator preparation for later. The price you need is the cost of reaching a classroom-ready credential, not just the tuition for the history major. Compare the total program cost, transfer policy, required field work, and whether the school can recommend graduates for licensure in the intended state. A degree that preserves room for electives may suit a student who plans to add preparation separately, but that same flexibility can mean more coursework, more coordination, and a longer path before teaching. If licensure is not included, request a formal prerequisite evaluation and a written list of the remaining steps before enrolling.
The examples below show how published costs can differ even among programs with similar titles. Military pricing is a separate category and should not be treated as the price available to every student. Check whether the advertised amount covers only the degree or also includes the courses, supervision, and application work needed for the teaching route. Those are separate decisions, and combining them in your comparison keeps a low tuition figure from doing more work than it should.
| School and Program | Total Program Cost Including Fees | Teaching Check |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Oregon University — Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science in History | $30,590 | Confirm whether educator preparation must be completed separately. |
| American Public University System — Bachelor of Arts in History | $34,500 (In-State/Out-of-State) / $30,100 (Military) | Match courses to the intended state’s subject requirements. |
King University offers a Bachelor of Science in History, while Southwest Minnesota State University offers a Bachelor of Arts in History. The BA or BS label matters less for teaching than the actual courses, field experience, and licensure outcome. Still, each curriculum may leave different room for education courses and state-required content. That difference can affect whether you add preparation through the same school, transfer credits elsewhere, or complete requirements after the history degree. A similar title does not guarantee a similar teaching route.
Use a simple two-column audit. In one column, list what the degree includes. In the other, list every remaining licensure step, along with any requirement that could change your schedule or total cost. This prevents a standard history degree from being mistaken for a complete teacher preparation program and shows whether the lower-priced option stays lower after the missing pieces are added.
- History and social studies course requirements
- Educator preparation and teaching methods courses
- Supervised classroom experience
- State exams and application requirements
- Total program cost, including mandatory fees
Compare programs only after the role and state are clear. A degree designed for general history study may be a sound choice for one student and an incomplete route for another. If you already have college credits, confirm transfer treatment with the registrar for both history and education coursework; a credit that applies to the major may not satisfy a licensure requirement. The useful comparison is the route that gets you to the intended classroom, not the program with the smallest starting price.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What degree do you need to be a teacher?
Public-school teachers generally need a bachelor’s degree plus the educator preparation and licensure required by their state. The major and approved subject area depend on the teaching role. That means a history degree can be relevant without automatically qualifying you to teach history; the state’s subject-area rules and preparation requirements control the outcome.
Do you need a degree to be a substitute teacher?
Substitute requirements depend on the state and employer. Check the state education agency or hiring district before assuming a history bachelor’s is required or sufficient. The requirements may differ from those for a regular teaching position, so confirm the credential, application, and approval process for the specific district you’re considering.
Can you be a teacher without a teaching degree?
Sometimes. A history bachelor’s may pair with a post-bachelor or alternative teacher preparation route. The available route depends on the state and school setting. This can make the degree a starting point rather than the complete path to a classroom license, particularly if your program does not include educator preparation.
Do you have to have a teaching degree to teach history?
Not always, but public-school history teachers still need to meet state licensure rules. A history major can provide subject knowledge while a separate program supplies teaching preparation. Before enrolling, compare the degree curriculum with the state’s social studies requirements so you know which part of the process the bachelor’s actually covers.
Do you need a master’s degree to be a teacher?
A master’s degree is not the standard starting credential for every classroom role. Check the state and employer rules for the grade level and school type you want. Paying for a graduate degree before confirming that requirement can add cost without solving the actual eligibility issue.
Can you get a teaching degree online?
Academic courses may be online, but teacher preparation commonly includes field work in a real school. Confirm who arranges placements and whether they are available near you. A program can be online in its coursework and still require in-person participation, so the placement details matter before you commit.
How fast can you get a teaching degree online?
Your timeline depends on transfer credit, course load, field placement, and whether licensure preparation is built into the bachelor’s. Ask for a term-by-term plan based on your records. That plan should distinguish degree coursework from preparation and field requirements; otherwise, a graduation estimate may not show how long the licensing path will take.
Can a history degree qualify you to teach social studies?
It may supply much of the subject coursework, but the state decides whether the courses fit its social studies license or endorsement. Request a formal review before enrolling. A school’s description of a history curriculum does not by itself establish that the credits will satisfy the state’s teaching-subject rules.
Is teaching a professional degree?
Teaching is a licensed profession in public schools. A bachelor’s is the academic credential, while educator preparation and state approval establish eligibility for the licensed role. Treat those as separate decisions when comparing programs: one determines what you study, and the others determine whether you can use that preparation in the classroom you want.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education: Professional licensure
- CAEP: National Council for the Social Studies program guidelines
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: History field of degree
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Archivists, curators, and museum workers
- National Archives: Archivist Development Program qualifications
- National Archives: Internship requirements