History Degrees in Iowa

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The first case the Iowa Territory’s Supreme Court ever decided was about whether a man could be dragged back into slavery. Ralph had agreed in 1834 to buy his freedom from William Montgomery for $550 plus interest, moved to Dubuque, and failed to raise the money, at which point Montgomery sent bounty hunters after him. On June 4, 1839 the court ruled that Ralph still owed the debt but that no man in the territory could be reduced to slavery, and let him go. Eighteen years later the United States Supreme Court took up a comparable question in Dred Scott and answered it the other way. Same era, same legal materials, opposite conclusions, which is most of what makes the subject worth studying.

Iowa has 25 colleges and universities offering history degrees, with 36 programs among them: 29 bachelor’s degrees, 4 master’s degrees, and 3 doctorates.

Twenty-two of those twenty-five schools are private colleges, the highest proportion in the country.

Iowa at a Glance

Schools offering history	25
History programs	36
Bachelor’s / master’s / doctoral	29 / 4 / 3
Online programs	1
Schools offering all three levels	2
Lowest in-state tuition and fees	$9,936 per year
Largest history catalog	University of Iowa, 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 Iowa

We scored all 25 Iowa 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%). Iowa leads on depth at 6 programs, with Iowa State and Dordt at 3. Outcomes are close, with Iowa and Iowa State both completing 75% of students in four years and Dordt at 70%. Reputation rests on the two R1 universities. Affordability separates the public and private halves of this list sharply, since the three publics run $9,936 to $11,283 and the two privates $36,658 and $37,050. Here are Iowa’s best history degrees.

1 University of Iowa

Iowa runs both history and art history at all three levels, bachelor’s through doctorate in each, which is the complete ladder in two fields at one institution. That is six programs for $11,283 in state, and three-quarters of its students finish inside four years. For anyone in Iowa aiming at graduate work in either field, this is the default.

History programs: 6
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral
Carnegie classification: R1, very high research activity
In-state tuition and fees: $11,283

2 Iowa State University

Iowa State keeps three programs, a history bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D., with no named fields attached, at $10,787 in state. It matches Iowa’s 75% completion rate at a slightly lower price, and it is the state’s only other route to a history doctorate.

History programs: 3
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral
Carnegie classification: R1, very high research activity
In-state tuition and fees: $10,787

3 University of Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa offers a history bachelor’s and M.A. at $9,936, the cheapest in the state, and its master’s is the only online history program Iowa has. For a working teacher or anyone who cannot relocate, that makes it the single distance option in state.

History programs: 2
Levels offered: Bachelor’s, master’s
Carnegie classification: Master’s university, larger programs
In-state tuition and fees: $9,936

4 Dordt University

Dordt reaches this list on an unusual undergraduate offering: alongside history and art history bachelor’s degrees it runs a standalone B.A. in Museum Studies, which is uncommon anywhere and rare at a college this size. It completes 70% of students in four years. Tuition and fees are $37,050.

History programs: 3
Levels offered: Bachelor’s
Carnegie classification: Master’s university, smaller programs
In-state tuition and fees: $37,050

5 Saint Ambrose University

Saint Ambrose pairs a history bachelor’s with a B.A. in Art History and Museum Studies, combining the two fields in a single undergraduate degree. At $36,658 it prices with Dordt, and between them the two colleges account for the state’s museum studies provision in our listings.

History programs: 2
Levels offered: Bachelor’s
Carnegie classification: Doctoral/professional university
In-state tuition and fees: $36,658

The three public universities here charge between $9,936 and $11,283 in state. The two private colleges charge $36,658 and $37,050.

Most Affordable History Degrees in Iowa

Most affordable history degrees in Iowa
Rank	School	Program	Tuition per year
1	University of Northern Iowa	Bachelor's in History	$9,936
2	Iowa State University	Bachelor's in History	$10,787
3	University of Iowa	B.A. in History	$11,283
4	Upper Iowa University	Bachelor's in Social Science	$19,475
5	Graceland University-Lamoni	B.A. in History	$20,950
6	Central College	Bachelor's in History	$20,988
7	Waldorf University	B.A. in History	$25,978
8	Wartburg College	B.A. in History	$26,250
9	William Penn University	Bachelor's in History	$29,750
10	Grand View University	Bachelor's in History	$34,762

Annual in-state tuition and fees. Iowa has only three public universities teaching history and they take the top three places, none above $11,283. Everything below them is private, starting at $19,475.

History Education in Iowa

Iowa is the most private-dominated state in the country for this subject. Twenty-two of the twenty-five schools teaching history are private colleges, 88% of the total, a higher share than any other state. Pennsylvania is next at 77%.

That headline hides the real structure, though. Those 22 private colleges carry 25 programs between them, roughly one apiece and almost all at bachelor’s level. The three public universities carry the other 11 programs and every graduate degree in the state, and they are also the three cheapest schools on the affordability list. Iowa has a very wide undergraduate market and a very narrow graduate one: 4 master’s degrees and 3 doctorates in total, spread across two institutions.

The University of Iowa is the exception to the narrowness. It runs history and art history from bachelor’s through doctorate in both fields, six programs at $11,283 in state, which is an unusual amount of depth at that price.

Museum studies is the surprise, and it lives entirely on the private side of our listings. Dordt University offers a standalone B.A. in Museum Studies, and Saint Ambrose runs a B.A. in Art History and Museum Studies. Both are small private colleges, both charge around $37,000, and both reach our top five largely because of it. For a student who knows they want collections work and can meet private tuition, Iowa offers something most states reserve for graduate school.

Distance study is the weak spot: Iowa lists one online history program, the University of Northern Iowa’s master’s. Our guide to online history degrees covers the wider field.

Transfer is straightforward and generous. The Associate of Arts Articulation Agreement runs between Iowa’s 15 community colleges and the Regent universities, and completing an AA at any of them satisfies all freshman and sophomore general education requirements at a public university. Parallel agreements cover the Associate of Science and Associate of Applied Science. Details are at Transfer in Iowa.

Becoming a History Teacher in Iowa

Iowa licenses the field as Social Studies 5-12 through the Board of Educational Examiners, so the endorsement covers geography, government, and economics alongside history.

Iowa changed its licensure testing requirements in 2022, and what you need now depends on the route you take into the profession. Reporting on the change is not entirely consistent about which assessments still apply to candidates completing a state-approved Iowa preparation program, so this is one to confirm directly instead of take from a guide.

Because the endorsement spans grades 5 through 12, expect preparation and placement to cover both middle school and high school settings.

Confirm current requirements with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners before choosing a program, and ask specifically which assessments apply to your pathway.

History Careers in Iowa

History Careers in Iowa
Occupation	Iowa jobs	Iowa median	vs. U.S. median
Secondary school teachers	12,310	$61,200	-15%
Postsecondary history teachers	150	$77,040	-8%
Curators	230	$53,830	-15%
Archivists	40	$59,010	-9%
Historians	not published	not published	n/a

Employment and wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025. Iowa’s figures for historians were withheld entirely, both the employment count and the wage.

Every occupation Iowa publishes pays below the national median, and the spread among them is narrow. Postsecondary history teaching comes closest at 8% below and archivists at 9% below, with secondary school teaching and curators both 15% under.

One number is worth pausing on. Iowa supports 230 curator positions, which is a larger count than several states with far more people, and pays them $53,830. That is a real market for museum and collections work, and it sits alongside the state’s unusual undergraduate museum studies provision at Dordt and Saint Ambrose. The training and the jobs line up; the wages do not particularly.

Secondary school teaching carries the volume as always, with 12,310 positions at 15% below national. Set against public tuition topping out at $11,283, the Iowa calculation is a low-cost degree feeding a low-paying market, which works well for students who stay in state and less well for those weighing the degree as an investment on national numbers.

History Resources in Iowa

State Historical Society of Iowa, which operates in two cities. It was founded in Iowa City in 1857, and the Historical Department in Des Moines followed in 1892. Today it runs a museum, library, archives, and research center on East Locust Street in Des Moines, and a separate research library on Iowa Avenue in Iowa City, a short walk from the University of Iowa campus.
State Archives of Iowa, held within the Society’s Des Moines research center, covering state government records alongside manuscript and photographic collections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Can You Study History in Iowa?

Iowa has 36 history programs at 25 colleges and universities, though 22 of those schools are private colleges offering roughly one program each. The University of Iowa has the largest catalog at 6 programs, with Iowa State and Dordt at 3. Only Iowa and Iowa State teach the subject at all three levels.

Which Iowa University Has the Best History Program?

The University of Iowa ranks first, running both history and art history from bachelor’s through doctorate at $11,283 in state. Iowa State is second and slightly cheaper at $10,787, with the same 75% completion rate, but a narrower catalog.

What Is the Cheapest History Degree in Iowa?

The University of Northern Iowa at $9,936 a year, covering a bachelor’s and a master’s. Iowa’s three public universities take the three cheapest places, topping out at $11,283, and the least expensive private college charges $19,475.

Can You Study Museum Studies in Iowa?

Yes, and unusually it is available as an undergraduate degree. Dordt University offers a standalone B.A. in Museum Studies and Saint Ambrose a B.A. in Art History and Museum Studies. Both are private colleges charging around $37,000, and in our listings they account for the state’s museum studies provision.

Can You Get a History Degree Online in Iowa?

Barely. We list a single online history program in the state, the University of Northern Iowa’s master’s degree. Anyone wanting an online bachelor’s will be looking at institutions elsewhere.