Backstory: After much thought, I have decided to return to school to pursue a career as a Historian/Professor in History. I have had serious interest in history for my entire life but I did not major or minor in it during my undergrad although the thought remained in the back of my mind for a long time. I actually studied business and the few history classes I took, I considered as my fun classes but nothing I could make a career out of. After being out of school for a few years I realized that there are many things about being a professor of history I would love as it would combine many of my passions and interests. So now that I am looking at going back to school, it seems as though I have the option of trying to find a university that will allow me to return and get a second bachelor's degree (which would require more courses and more money) or I can return as a non-degree seeking student (which will require less courses and less money). Will my study of history in either capacity have a major impact on my eventual application to PHD programs?
Another option would be to go to a local community college to complete the undergraduate portion of a history major and then apply for a master's program. What would be the viability of this idea?
Sparknotes: To be competitive when applying to PHD programs for history, will it make a significant difference whether I have a second bachelors degree or have taken all the same courses of a history major but as a non-degree seeking student?
I would encourage you to think about two things.
Is this what you want. Academia can feel like a merry-go-round and be absolutely awful. Besides, the job market is terrible. Seriously, think about it.
If this is what you want, just apply to a Ph.D. program or a masters. Know that a masters is often needed to get into a Ph.D. program these days but that a MA in history is basically a money drain. Universities offer them to make money. I didn't get one before I entered my program and you could too, but it does make it easier.
Don't do a bachelors.
Probably the community college and/or masters degree route makes the most sense. The real issue is getting recent recommendation letters from professors who can talk about your academic abilities. Many non-traditional applicants are forced to get letters from faculty who barely remember them. Also, by "a few years," do you mean four or five or fifteen or twenty? To be honest, academia is a young (ish) person's game because it takes so long to get a PhD, you have to move to where the jobs are, and the pay is low relative to all the training required. And, most PhDs FAIL to get a tenure-track position and either leave the field to do something else or are doomed to a life of adjunct penury. Finally, you will likely have to take out large loans for college or masters program. Are you wiling to have tens of thousands of dollars in loans follow you around until you retire-if you can retire?