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History · History Rank #148 of 389

Historyat Boston College

Graduates earn $41,341/yr in their first year — about 28.0% above the national History average. Base-case 10-year earnings $650K; scenarios range from $585K to $667K depending on AI disruption.

Chestnut Hill, MA Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
43 AVERAGE
44
Optimistic
40
Pessimistic
Earnings
$41,341
1-year post-graduation
ROI
1.7x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$650K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
50% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Boston College

A Boston College History degree carries significant weight, largely due to the institution's esteemed reputation and its prime location within Boston's diverse and competitive job market. Your studies here cultivate exceptional critical thinking, research, and communication skills, which are highly transferable and sought after by employers across various sectors, not just traditional historical fields. This strong liberal arts foundation, combined with BC's robust alumni network, often funnels graduates into management, consulting, finance, education, and public policy roles where analytical acumen is paramount.

While the data highlights the evolving nature of information-based roles, the human element of strategic synthesis, ethical reasoning, and complex problem-solving remains crucial. Many graduates find success by applying their historical perspective to modern challenges. To maximize your prospects, actively seek internships or co-ops that allow you to apply your analytical skills in a professional setting, bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world application.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$585K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score40/100
Earnings Multiple2.2x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$650K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score43/100
Earnings Multiple2.4x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$667K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score44/100
Earnings Multiple2.5x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Boston College's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where History graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Natural sciences managers
+3.7% 10-yr growth · 8,500 openings/yr
$161,180/yr
High
2
Managers, all other
+4.5% 10-yr growth · 106,700 openings/yr
$136,550/yr
Moderate
3
History teachers, postsecondary
-0.2% 10-yr growth · 1,700 openings/yr
$81,500/yr
High
4
Historians
+2.2% 10-yr growth · 300 openings/yr
$74,050/yr
Moderate
5
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
-1.6% 10-yr growth · 66,200 openings/yr
$64,580/yr
Moderate
6
Curators
+7.0% 10-yr growth · 1,800 openings/yr
$61,770/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering History

How Boston College stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Dartmouth College
NH · Private nonprofit
60
DW Score
$61K
1-yr earn
2.6x
ROI
Duke University
NC · Private nonprofit
57
DW Score
$61K
1-yr earn
2.3x
ROI
University of Houston-Clear Lake
TX · Public
64
DW Score
$57K
1-yr earn
15.7x
ROI
Top score
Amherst College
MA · Private nonprofit
65
DW Score
$56K
1-yr earn
4.9x
ROI
Yale University
CT · Private nonprofit
47
DW Score
$55K
1-yr earn
1.1x
ROI
Also at Boston College

Other top programs at Boston College

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Boston College, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in History offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare History trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →
FAQ

Frequently asked about History at Boston College

What is the DegreeOutlook Score for History at Boston College?

A score of 43/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for History. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.

Will AI replace History careers?

With 44% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $584,636 in decade earnings vs $667,345 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.