Military History Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Military History maps to BLS occupations averaging about $152,102, with roughly 2,275,500 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $9,642; common paths include Lawyers and History Teachers, Postsecondary.
Key Statistics
Military History: what the data shows
Common questions about military history degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a military history degree?
A Military History program is classified under NCES CIP 54.0108 in the History field family (54.01).
A program that focuses on the study of the history of warfare and military institutions in their operational, politico-economic and socio-cultural contexts; including airpower history, naval history, and military history. Includes instruction in military organization, military operations, the history of technology, leadership and biography, military psychology and behavior, international relations and politics, economics, aspects of general and regional history, cultural history and anthropology, historiography, and applicable quantitative methods
IPEDS counted 101 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of military history degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 54.01 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- American History (United States) (CIP 54.0102)
- Asian History (CIP 54.0106)
- Canadian History (CIP 54.0107)
- European History (CIP 54.0103)
- History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (CIP 54.0104)
- History, General (CIP 54.0101)
- Public/Applied History (CIP 54.0105)
How long does it take to get a military history degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 54.0108 in our file:
- 30 Associate (11.9% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 101 Bachelor's (40.1% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 121 Master's (48.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Lawyers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a military history degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Military History to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | 747,750 | $151,160 |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | 19,860 | $81,500 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | 5,260 | $95,770 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 97,890 | $80,190 |
| Elementary School Teachers | 1,393,310 | $62,340 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a military history degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the History bachelor's program family: median debt $30,706, median earnings $50,680 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.98.
About 6.8% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $9,642 and median net price is $17,743.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Military History and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$9,642 Median In-State Public
$40,490 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Military History majors are, on average, $9,642 for in-state public colleges, and $40,490 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Military History programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Military History from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Military History.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | AZ | 85,991 |
| 4 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 5 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Military History programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 3 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 4 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 5 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Military History programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 3 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 4 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 5 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,115 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Military History programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Military History programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Military History is in VA (42 completions). That state represents about 41.6% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is HI (0.11% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 42 | 41.6% | 0.03% |
| WV | 28 | 27.7% | 0.08% |
| HI | 12 | 11.9% | 0.11% |
| MO | 8 | 7.9% | 0.01% |
| NY | 7 | 6.9% | 0.00% |
| WI | 3 | 3.0% | 0.00% |
| OK | 1 | 1.0% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 54.01 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- American History (United States) CIP 54.0102
- Asian History CIP 54.0106
- Canadian History CIP 54.0107
- European History CIP 54.0103
- History and Philosophy of Science and Technology CIP 54.0104
- History, General CIP 54.0101
- Public/Applied History CIP 54.0105
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 54.0108 in the survey year used in our extract (252 total across levels below).
- 30 Associate (11.9% of IPEDS total)
- 101 Bachelor's (40.1% of IPEDS total)
- 121 Master's (48.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $152,102. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Military History graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | $261,078 | 747,750 |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | $134,221 | 19,860 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | $129,630 | 11,430 |
| Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | $126,897 | 5,260 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,318 | 97,890 |
| Elementary School Teachers | $95,682 | 1,393,310 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the History CIP family (95 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Military History graduate.
- $30,706 median federal loan debt among completers
- $50,680 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.98 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 6.8% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$152,102 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Military History majors is $152,102.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Military History majors.
Occupations by Share
2,275,500 2023 Workforce
The number of Military History graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Military History by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Military History in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Military History.
Age distribution for Military History degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
101 Total Degrees Awarded
89 Male (88.12%)
12 Female (11.88%)
Gender distribution of Military History degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
70 White (69.31%)
6 Hispanic or Latino (5.94%)
6 Two or More Races (5.94%)
3 Asian (2.97%)
3 Black or African American (2.97%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Military History degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Military History are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Military History.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Military History field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Military History majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Military History majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Military History majors.
About
A program that focuses on the study of the history of warfare and military institutions in their operational, politico-economic and socio-cultural contexts; including airpower history, naval history, and military history. Includes instruction in military organization, military operations, the history of technology, leadership and biography, military psychology and behavior, international relations and politics, economics, aspects of general and regional history, cultural history and anthropology, historiography, and applicable quantitative methods
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Military History.
CIP Code
54.0108 - Military History
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $30,706 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $50,680, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.98. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Military History graduate.
Men earned 11.3% of 266 Military History completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $152,102. The largest mapped role by headcount is Lawyers (747,750 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $9,642 in-state at public colleges and $40,490 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.