History at University of Missouri-St Louis

A history degree from UMSL costs slightly more in debt than it generates in first-year earnings—a concerning starting point—but the trajectory tells a more hopeful story. Graduates see solid 36% earnings growth to $37,895 by year four, and among Missouri history programs, this actually ranks at the 60th percentile despite falling in just the 26th percentile nationally. For a regional public university, that's competitive performance within the state market where most graduates will likely work.

The real caution here isn't the numbers themselves but their reliability. With fewer than 30 graduates in this cohort, a few outliers could dramatically skew these figures in either direction. The debt load sits at $28,738—lower than 95% of history programs nationally—which at least limits downside risk if those first-year earnings prove accurate. Within Missouri, UMSL graduates earn more than those from Mizzie-Columbia and Truman State, though they trail Columbia College's $40,000 median by a substantial margin.

For families considering this program, the modest debt paired with decent in-state competitiveness makes it a reasonable choice if your student plans to work in the St. Louis region, where UMSL's connections run deep. Just understand that history degrees rarely lead to high early earnings anywhere, and with this small sample size, your child's actual outcome could vary significantly from these medians.