Hiring guide · Education & Childcare
How to Hire a History Professor
Pay benchmarks, qualifications, sourcing, screening and interview questions for hiring history professors, plus a plan to get them productive fast.
Write a clear job description, offer competitive pay (the national median is $83,820), recruit through college education programs and student-teaching placements, verify Ph.D. in history where applicable, run a structured interview with a practical skills check, and onboard with a 30-60-90 day plan.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
The hiring market for history professors
There are about 23,200 history professors employed in the U.S., with roughly 1,500 openings each year. Employment is projected to change 0.0% from 2025–35 (little or no change). Most openings come from replacing workers who retire or change careers, so a steady pipeline matters.
Pay benchmarks for offers
| Candidate level | Annual | Hourly* |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level (10th–25th percentile) | $48,410–$63,920 | $23.27–$30.73 |
| Typical / mid-career (median) | $83,820 | $40.30 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $112,090 | $53.89 |
| Top of market (90th percentile) | $162,160 | $77.96 |
*Annual ÷ 2,080 hours. National BLS data; adjust for your state and metro area. Many states and cities now require pay ranges in job postings.
What to look for
Must-haves
- Doctoral or professional degree (typical entry level)
- Historical research
- Storytelling
Nice-to-haves
- Ph.D. in history
- Language skills
- Research fellowships
- Experience with library databases
Where to find history professors
- College education programs and student-teaching placements
- Alternative certification and residency programs
- Substitute and paraprofessional pools
- Community colleges with early childhood (CDA) programs
- Job postings that use common alternate titles: History Faculty, Historian and Professor, American History Professor, World History Instructor
Screening checklist
- State license or certification verification where required
- Fingerprint background checks and child abuse registry clearances
- CPR and first aid certification for childcare roles
- A sample lesson or classroom observation
Follow federal, state and local rules on background checks, drug testing and fair-chance hiring, and apply screening consistently to all candidates for the role.
Interview questions to ask
Ask every candidate the same questions and score answers on a structured scorecard.
1. “Describe your research.”
What a strong answer includes: Explain.
2. “What courses can you teach?”
What a strong answer includes: List.
3. “How do you teach primary sources?”
What a strong answer includes: Explain.
4. “What’s your publication plan?”
What a strong answer includes: Share.
5. “How do you engage non-majors?”
What a strong answer includes: Share.
Practical skills checks
A short demonstration beats a perfect resume. Ask candidates to talk you through, or perform under supervision, tasks such as:
- Teach Students to Read a Primary Source (see the steps)
- Plan an Archive Research Trip (see the steps)
- Write a Survey Course Lecture (see the steps)
Red flags
- Can’t describe basic safety practices for the role
- Vague or inconsistent work history with no explanation
- Unfamiliar with core terms such as Primary source, Secondary source, Historiography
- Negative talk about every past employer or coworker
Onboard for retention
The first 90 days decide whether a new hire stays. Use our History Professor 30-60-90 day onboarding plan and give every new hire the same foundation with History Professor training. Show them the path forward: Teaching Assistant → Assistant Professor → Associate Professor → Professor or Chair.
Hiring history professors: FAQ
How much should I pay a history professor?
The U.S. median wage for history professors is $83,820 per year, according to BLS May 2025 data. Entry-level offers often fall near the 25th percentile ($63,920), while experienced hires command closer to the 75th percentile ($112,090). Adjust for your local market.
What qualifications should a history professor have?
BLS lists “doctoral or professional degree” as the typical entry-level education. Look for Ph.D. in history and Language skills where relevant, plus skills such as historical research, primary source analysis, and writing.
How long does it take to train a new history professor?
Becoming qualified typically takes 6–8 years after a bachelor’s. After hire, plan for a structured 30-60-90 day onboarding period; BLS classifies on-the-job training for this occupation as “none.”