History Degrees in Kentucky

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The two men who led opposing sides of the Civil War were born in the same state within a year of each other. Jefferson Davis arrived at Fairview on June 3, 1808, and Abraham Lincoln at Hodgenville on February 12, 1809. Kentucky itself never seceded, and both birthplaces are preserved and open to visitors, so the state holds the starting points of a war it spent four years refusing to choose sides in. Teaching that divided history is spread widely across Kentucky. The graduate work is not.

Kentucky has 23 colleges and universities offering history degrees, with 37 programs among them: 28 bachelor’s degrees, 8 master’s degrees, and 1 doctorate.

That single doctorate is at the University of Kentucky, and every graduate history program in the state sits at a public university.

Kentucky at a Glance

Schools offering history	23
History programs	37
Bachelor’s / master’s / doctoral	28 / 8 / 1
Online programs	3
Schools offering all three levels	1
Lowest in-state tuition and fees	$9,875 per year
Largest history catalog	University of Kentucky, 5 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 Kentucky

We scored all 23 Kentucky schools on the four factors we apply in every state: history degree offerings and program variety (40%), student outcomes (25%), reputation (20%), and affordability (15%). Catalog depth separates the University of Kentucky at 5 programs from Louisville and Western Kentucky at 3 each. Outcomes favor Kentucky again at a 71% four-year completion rate, with Murray State and Louisville tied at 61%. Reputation rests on the state’s two R1 research universities, Kentucky and Louisville. Affordability is where the order shifts, pulling Murray State at $9,900 and Northern Kentucky at $11,088 into the top five ahead of larger catalogs. Here are Kentucky’s best history degrees.

1 University of Kentucky

UK runs history and art history as parallel offerings, with a bachelor’s and a master’s in each, and its undergraduate degree in Art History and Visual Studies is the only one in Kentucky carrying that title. Its Ph.D. in History is the state’s only history doctorate, which makes UK the single campus where a Kentucky student can go from a first-year survey course to a dissertation without leaving.

History programs: 5
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral
Carnegie classification: R1, very high research activity
In-state tuition and fees: $13,502

2 University of Louisville

Louisville is Kentucky’s second R1, and two of its three history programs are graduate degrees, which is an unusual balance for a state flagship-adjacent campus. Its M.A. in Art History is one of only two art history master’s in Kentucky, and the other is at UK, so graduate study in the field here means one of these two universities.

History programs: 3
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s
Carnegie classification: R1, very high research activity
In-state tuition and fees: $13,136

3 Western Kentucky University

Western Kentucky is the only school outside the two research universities offering a bachelor’s in art history, and it undercuts both of them at $11,652. Its M.A. in History is the only online graduate history program in the state, which makes it the default for a working teacher or museum employee who cannot move to Lexington or Louisville.

History programs: 3
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s
Carnegie classification: Doctoral/professional university
In-state tuition and fees: $11,652

4 Murray State University

Murray State pairs a history bachelor’s with an M.A. in History at $9,900 a year, the lowest price in this ranking by a clear margin. Its 61% four-year completion rate matches the University of Louisville’s, where in-state tuition and fees run $13,136.

History programs: 2
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s
Carnegie classification: Master’s university, larger programs
In-state tuition and fees: $9,900

5 Northern Kentucky University

Northern Kentucky’s graduate degree is a Master’s in Public History instead of a general history M.A., aimed at students heading for museums, archives, and historic sites instead of a Ph.D. Its bachelor’s is one of the three online history programs in the state.

History programs: 2
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s
Carnegie classification: Doctoral/professional university
In-state tuition and fees: $11,088

The University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville are Kentucky’s two R1 research universities, and UK alone carries the state’s history doctorate.

Most Affordable History Degrees in Kentucky

Most affordable history degrees in Kentucky
Rank	School	Program	Tuition per year
1	University of the Cumberlands	Bachelor's in History	$9,875
2	Murray State University	Bachelor's in History	$9,900
3	Morehead State University	B.A. in History	$10,024
4	Eastern Kentucky University	B.A. in History	$10,320
5	Northern Kentucky University	B.A. in History	$11,088
6	Western Kentucky University	Bachelor's in History	$11,652
7	University of Louisville	B.A. in History	$13,136
8	University of Kentucky	Bachelor's in History	$13,502
9	Alice Lloyd College	B.A. in History	$13,960
10	University of Pikeville	Bachelor's in History and Political Science	$24,850

Annual in-state tuition and fees. Kentucky is one of the few states where the cheapest history degree is at a private college. The University of the Cumberlands comes in $25 below Murray State, and six of these ten schools offer history at the master’s level.

History Education in Kentucky

Every graduate history program in Kentucky is at a public university. The 8 master’s degrees and the single doctorate are spread across six public campuses, while the state’s 16 private nonprofit colleges carry 18 programs between them and stop at the bachelor’s. If you want to study history past the undergraduate level in Kentucky, the choice is public.

Pricing runs against expectation at the bottom of the range. The University of the Cumberlands, a private college, charges $9,875, which is less than any public university in the state. Above it the publics cluster tightly, and the eight cheapest schools in Kentucky all sit between $9,875 and $13,502. Only the University of Pikeville at $24,850 breaks away from the pack.

Kentucky’s transfer guarantee is broader than a completed block. The Council on Postsecondary Education’s general education transfer policy requires public institutions to accept all six categories of general education coursework for degree credit, whether a student earned them as individual courses or inside a finished block. Students who complete a 33-credit general education program are certified as having done so, and the hours travel together. Kansas and Missouri protect the completed block. Kentucky protects the individual courses as well, which matters if you transfer partway through a community college degree.

Online options are thin for a state with 23 history schools. Our directory finds 3 online history programs: bachelor’s degrees at Northern Kentucky and the University of the Cumberlands, and Western Kentucky’s M.A. in History. That master’s is the only distance route to a graduate history degree inside Kentucky. Our guide to online history degrees covers the wider set of options.

Kentucky also splits its public history offering across two levels and two campuses. Morehead State runs a B.A. in Public History at $10,024 and Northern Kentucky a master’s in the same field at $11,088, so a student can take the applied route from undergraduate through graduate study without paying research university tuition.

Becoming a History Teacher in Kentucky

Kentucky licenses social studies, not history on its own. The subject is one specialization inside the Secondary School Certificate for grades 8 through 12, listed alongside English, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, and earth science.

The grade range matters more here than in most states. Kentucky also lists social studies as a teaching field within its Middle School Certificate for grades 5 through 9, so the two credentials overlap at grades 8 and 9. Which one you pursue determines whether you are qualified for a sixth-grade classroom or a senior-year one.

Testing runs through the Praxis series: the Core Academic Skills for Educators tests in reading, writing, and mathematics, a subject assessment in social studies, and the Principles of Learning and Teaching exam matched to your grade range.

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

History Careers in Kentucky

History Careers in Kentucky
Occupation	Kentucky jobs	Kentucky median	vs. U.S. median
Secondary school teachers	12,780	$61,560	-15%
Postsecondary history teachers	280	$64,600	-23%
Curators	130	$55,460	-13%
Archivists	40	$48,810	-24%
Historians	50	$63,530	-17%

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

Every occupation on this list pays below the national median, and the gaps are wide across the board. Archivists trail furthest at 24% below national, with postsecondary history teaching close behind at 23% below. Curators come nearest at 13% under. There is no occupation here where Kentucky pays competitively.

The college teaching figure deserves a second look if graduate study is your plan. Kentucky supports 280 postsecondary history teaching positions at a median of $64,600, which is less than the state’s own secondary school teachers earn on average across 12,780 jobs. The classroom is both the larger market and, in Kentucky, the better-paid one.

History Resources in Kentucky

Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, formed in 1836 by Kentuckians intent on preserving the Commonwealth’s record. Its history campus takes in the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Old State Capitol, and the Kentucky Military History Museum at the State Arsenal.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Hodgenville, the site of the farm where Lincoln was born and one of the two Civil War presidential birthplaces preserved in the state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Can You Study History in Kentucky?

Twenty-three colleges and universities offer the subject, with 37 programs among them. The University of Kentucky has the largest catalog at 5 programs and the state’s only doctorate. Louisville, Western Kentucky, Murray State, and Northern Kentucky round out the top five, and all five are public.

What Is the Cheapest History Degree in Kentucky?

The University of the Cumberlands at $9,875 a year in tuition and fees, which is a private college undercutting every public university in the state. Murray State is next at $9,900 and adds a master’s degree, and Morehead State follows at $10,024 with a B.A. in Public History.

Can You Get a History Degree Online in Kentucky?

Yes, though the choice is narrow. Our directory lists 3 online history programs: bachelor’s degrees at Northern Kentucky University and the University of the Cumberlands, and an M.A. in History at Western Kentucky University. Western Kentucky’s is the only online graduate history program in the state.

Can You Earn a History Ph.D. in Kentucky?

Only at the University of Kentucky, which holds the state’s single history doctorate. Five other public universities offer a history master’s, so students who want to continue past that point look out of state or move to Lexington.

How Do You Become a History Teacher in Kentucky?

Social studies is a specialization within Kentucky’s Secondary School Certificate for grades 8 through 12, not a standalone history credential. You need a bachelor’s degree, a state-approved preparation program, and passing Praxis scores covering basic skills, social studies content, and pedagogy. Requirements are published by the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board.