Home Schools Vassar College History
History · History Rank #248 of 389

Historyat Vassar College

Graduates earn $38,461/yr in their first year — about 19.0% above the national History average. Base-case 10-year earnings $469K; scenarios range from $445K to $467K depending on AI disruption.

Poughkeepsie, NY Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
38 AT RISK
39
Optimistic
36
Pessimistic
Earnings
$38,461
1-year post-graduation
ROI
0.4x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$469K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
50% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Vassar College

A Vassar History degree, from a highly selective liberal arts institution, signals exceptional critical thinking, research, and communication abilities. Your strong earning potential reflects how employers across diverse sectors—from management and law to non-profits and education—value these foundational skills, often beyond traditional history roles. Vassar’s rigorous curriculum and robust alumni network, particularly accessible in the Northeast corridor, provide a significant advantage in translating your academic strengths into professional success. While the "high AI risk" for the *major* might seem concerning, your education emphasizes human-centric analysis and complex problem-solving, skills that remain irreplaceable. To maximize your career trajectory, actively seek internships that apply your analytical talents to real-world business, policy, or advocacy challenges, and strategically leverage your alumni connections.

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
$445K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score36/100
Earnings Multiple1.6x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$469K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score38/100
Earnings Multiple1.7x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$467K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score39/100
Earnings Multiple1.7x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Vassar 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 Vassar 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 Vassar College

Other top programs at Vassar College

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Vassar 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 Vassar College

How does Vassar College's History program score?

This program scores 38/100 — on the lower end for History. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.

How vulnerable is History to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' History careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 44% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.