History Degrees in Washington

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On February 12, 1974, Judge George Boldt ruled that treaties signed in the 1850s had reserved to Washington’s tribes the right to half the harvestable salmon and steelhead, and that the state would have to co-manage the fisheries with them. The Supreme Court largely upheld it in 1979. The entire case turned on what a set of nineteenth-century documents had actually promised, argued out more than a century after anyone who signed them had died. That is as clear a demonstration as you will find that reading old texts accurately is not an academic exercise. Washington teaches the subject at a modest number of institutions and pays unusually well for the result.

Washington has 17 colleges and universities offering history degrees, with 32 programs among them: 21 bachelor’s degrees, 7 master’s degrees, and 4 doctorates.

Washington also pays secondary school teachers more, relative to the national median, than any other state in the country.

Washington at a Glance

Schools offering history	17
History programs	32
Bachelor’s / master’s / doctoral	21 / 7 / 4
Online programs	2
Schools offering all three levels	2
Lowest in-state tuition and fees	$8,586 per year
Largest history catalog	UW Seattle, 6 programs

Program counts come from our directory. Tuition figures are annual in-state tuition and fees from the U.S. Department of Education, and exclude room and board.

Top History Schools in Washington

We scored all 17 Washington schools on the four factors we use in every state: history degree offerings and program variety (40%), student outcomes (25%), reputation (20%), and affordability (15%). UW Seattle leads on depth at 6 programs, with Washington State at 5 and Western Washington at 4. Outcomes go to UW Seattle at 85% and Western Washington at 65% completing in four years. Reputation rests on the state’s two R1 universities. Affordability keeps the three regional universities in contention, since all of them undercut both R1 campuses. Here are Washington’s best history degrees.

1 University of Washington-Seattle Campus

UW Seattle runs art history at all three levels and offers something that appears at no other institution in our directory: an M.A. in Music History. Its art history master’s is specifically titled a thesis track, which tells you the department expects research instead of coursework alone. Six programs at $12,973 in state, with 85% of students completing in four years.

History programs: 6
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral
Carnegie classification: R1, very high research activity
In-state tuition and fees: $12,973

2 Washington State University

Washington State holds a Ph.D. in Public History. Only five states have one at all, and beneath it sits an M.A. in Public History. That gives the state a complete graduate path in applied history, at a public university charging $13,391 in state, and it is the reason a Washington student interested in museums, archives, or heritage work does not need to leave.

History programs: 5
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral
Carnegie classification: R1, very high research activity
In-state tuition and fees: $13,391

3 Western Washington University

Western Washington offers the widest undergraduate choice outside the R1s: a general history B.A., an art history B.A., and a B.A. in History and Social Studies built for the classroom, topped by a history master’s. At $9,582 with a 65% completion rate, it is the best-value route to a master’s in the state.

History programs: 4
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s
Carnegie classification: Master’s university, larger programs
In-state tuition and fees: $9,582

4 Central Washington University

Central Washington keeps a history bachelor’s and M.A. at $9,417 in Ellensburg, on the dry side of the Cascades. It is a straightforward and inexpensive route to a graduate degree away from the Seattle corridor.

History programs: 2
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s
Carnegie classification: Master’s university, larger programs
In-state tuition and fees: $9,417

5 Eastern Washington University

Eastern Washington is the cheapest school in this ranking at $8,586 and runs a history bachelor’s and M.A., one of them online. For students in the Spokane area, or anyone weighing price first, it is the state’s entry point.

History programs: 2
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s
Carnegie classification: Master’s university, larger programs
In-state tuition and fees: $8,586

All five of these schools are public, and the three regional universities all charge less than either R1 campus.

Most Affordable History Degrees in Washington

Most affordable history degrees in Washington
Rank	School	Program	Tuition per year
1	Eastern Washington University	B.A. in History	$8,586
2	Central Washington University	B.A. in History	$9,417
3	Western Washington University	B.A. in History	$9,582
4	University of Washington-Seattle Campus	Bachelor's in History	$12,973
5	University of Washington-Tacoma Campus	Bachelor's in History	$13,168
6	Washington State University	Bachelor's in History	$13,391
7	Heritage University	B.A. in History	$20,928
8	Walla Walla University	Bachelor's in History and Philosophy	$34,227
9	Northwest University	B.A. in History and Politics	$36,035
10	Seattle Pacific University	Bachelor's in History	$40,407

Annual in-state tuition and fees. The six public institutions occupy the top six places, from $8,586 to $13,391, and the four private colleges start at $20,928. There is nothing in between.

History Education in Washington

Washington’s public and private sectors barely compete with each other. The six public institutions take the top six places on the affordability list, from $8,586 to $13,391, and the cheapest private college charges $20,928. No school falls in the gap. Those six publics also carry 20 of the state’s 32 programs and every single graduate degree, while eleven private colleges share 12 bachelor’s programs between them.

Applied history is the state’s strength, and it goes all the way up. Washington State University is one of only five places in America awarding a doctorate in public history, with a master’s in the field beneath it. That means a student can take public history from a graduate entry point through to a doctorate at a public university in state, which is not possible in most of the country.

UW Seattle covers the other end of the field. It runs art history from bachelor’s through doctorate and lists an M.A. in Music History that appears at no other institution in our directory. Its art history master’s is titled a thesis track, which is a small signal worth reading: the department is structured around producing research instead of delivering coursework.

Distance study is the clear gap. Washington lists 2 online history programs, one bachelor’s and one master’s, in a state with 32 programs. Our guide to online history degrees covers the wider field.

Transfer runs through the Direct Transfer Agreement. Completing a DTA associate degree at a Washington public community college satisfies all or most lower-division general education requirements at a baccalaureate institution and generally grants junior standing, defined as 90 quarter credits or 60 semester credits. The wording matters: the official language is “all or most” and “generally”, not a flat guarantee, so confirm with the specific receiving department rather than assuming. Details are available through the Washington community colleges.

Becoming a History Teacher in Washington

Washington licenses by endorsement, and the relevant one for a history graduate is Social Studies, so the credential covers geography, civics, and economics alongside the historical content.

Content knowledge is demonstrated through the WEST-E, the Washington Educator Skills Test for endorsements, or through the NES depending on the endorsement area. Social Studies has its own WEST-E test.

There is a route here that is worth knowing about if you are already teaching. A certified Washington teacher can add an endorsement by passing the WEST-E or NES test alone, or through an alternative route approved by the Professional Educator Standards Board, without going back through a full preparation program. For a teacher currently endorsed in another subject who wants to move into social studies, that is a considerably shorter path than most states offer.

Western Washington University builds the route into the degree with a B.A. in History and Social Studies.

Confirm current requirements with the Professional Educator Standards Board before choosing a program.

History Careers in Washington

History Careers in Washington
Occupation	Washington jobs	Washington median	vs. U.S. median
Secondary school teachers	14,880	$102,670	+43%
Postsecondary history teachers	290	$83,250	-0.7%
Curators	260	$74,030	+17%
Archivists	640	$76,490	+18%
Historians	30	$99,720	+30%

Employment and wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

Washington pays secondary school teachers a median of $102,670, which is 43% above the national figure and the highest premium for that occupation of any state in the country. California is next at 41%, New York at 35%. Across 14,880 positions, that is not a niche market either. For a history graduate whose plan is a classroom, no state pays better relative to the national rate.

The rest of the table is strong in three places and level in the fourth. Archivists earn 18% above national across 640 positions, the fourth-largest archivist workforce in the country behind California, New York, and Maryland. Curators are 17% above and historians 30% above, though only 30 historian jobs are counted, so treat that wage as real and the market as very thin.

Postsecondary history teaching is the one flat number, at 0.7% below national. In a state that pays every other history occupation well above the rate, college teaching is the exception, not the rule, which is unusual and worth knowing if academia is the plan.

As with California and New York, read the premiums against Seattle-area housing costs instead of taking them at face value.

History Resources in Washington

Washington State Historical Society, founded in Tacoma in October 1891. It owns and operates the Washington State History Museum on Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, and holds the state’s principal historical collections outside the government archives.
Washington State Archives, Olympia, under the Secretary of State, with regional branches around the state, so records are often accessible closer to where they were created rather than only in the capital.
HistoryLink, a free online encyclopedia of Washington State history with signed and sourced entries. It is unusual among state encyclopedias in being genuinely scholarly and continuously maintained, and it is a sensible first stop for research, including on the Boldt decision described at the top of this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Can You Study History in Washington?

Washington has 32 history programs at 17 colleges and universities. UW Seattle has the largest catalog at 6 programs, with Washington State at 5 and Western Washington at 4. UW Seattle and Washington State are the two schools teaching the subject at all three levels.

Which Washington University Has the Best History Program?

UW Seattle ranks first, running art history from bachelor’s to doctorate plus an M.A. in Music History that no other school in our directory offers. Washington State ranks second and is the better choice for applied work: it is one of five universities in America awarding a public history doctorate.

What Is the Cheapest History Degree in Washington?

Eastern Washington University at $8,586 a year, which covers a bachelor’s and a master’s. The six public institutions in Washington occupy the six cheapest places, running to $13,391, and the least expensive private college charges $20,928.

Is Washington a Good State for History Careers?

For teaching, it is the best in the country by pay. Washington’s secondary school teachers earn a median $102,670, 43% above the national figure and a larger premium than any other state. Archivists and curators also earn well above national, at 18% and 17%. The exception is college teaching, which sits fractionally below the national median.

How Do You Become a History Teacher in Washington?

You need a Social Studies endorsement, with content knowledge demonstrated through the WEST-E or NES test. If you are already a certified Washington teacher, you can add the endorsement by passing that test alone instead of repeating a preparation program. Western Washington University offers a B.A. in History and Social Studies built for this path. The Professional Educator Standards Board publishes current requirements.