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Boston Career Explorer

Educational Instruction and Library

History Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses in human history and historiography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Also called: Adjunct History Instructor, Adjunct Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, History Instructor, History Professor

Median pay in Greater Boston
$105,420
Jobs in Greater Boston
540
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+3.5%
60 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Doctoral or professional degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$64,160$81,280$105,420$137,800$184,050

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as ancient history, postwar civilizations, and the history of third-world countries.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure96 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 98
  • Language-model AIOE 99
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 91

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is higher for history teachers, and observed AI use is at a "some" level. AI tools can help with drafting syllabi, handouts, and lecture materials, and with keeping up on new reading in the field. Leading classroom discussions and original research and writing depend on the teacher's own judgment, and AI exposure does not mean the job will go away.

Likely to change

  • Drafting syllabi, handouts, and assignments
  • Gathering and summarizing current literature

Still relies on people

  • Leading and moderating classroom discussions
  • Original research and scholarly interpretation

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

40 programs near Boston (plus 31 graduate)

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