Career Opportunities for History Majors

A degree in history can open the door to a rewarding career in a wide-range of growing fields. 

Career Options

Educator

History graduates teach their knowledge and skills in a wide variety of settings. Teaching at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels is a traditional career path for history majors. But history graduates also educate the wider public at museums and historical sites and, increasingly, through Digital History.

Writer/ Editor

History students develop strong critical reading and writing skills. History graduates become authors, editors, print journalists and more both in the private and public sector.

Business World

One does not need a business degree to land a job within a Fortune 500 company. Businesses hire History graduates because of their ability to understand historical trends, to research effectively, and to write clearly and persuasively.

Researcher

A wide range of employers seek individuals who can locate, analyze, and draw conclusions from information; this is what Historians do! History prepares students for career in planning and policy analysis along with more traditional positions within museums and historical organizations.

Law School

History is the traditional major for those who plan a law career because history students develop the research, reading, writing, and critical thinking skills required for success in law school. History majors arrive at law school with the ability to contextualize legal decisions and understand the long term meaning of laws and decisions.

Information Manager

History students work closely with a variety of source documents, which prepares them to pursue advanced degrees in Library science. History graduates work in archives, university and public libraries, and maintain business and legal record repositories.

Public History

Opportunities for Public History careers include public and private institutions at the local, state, national and global level. These include everything from county history museums to national humanities organizations. Public Historians preserve historic documents, structures and objects; manage collections; curate local, regional and national museums; serve as interpreters at historic sites and living history exhibits; and work in the emerging field of Digital History by digitizing historic materials, writing and editing online materials, and developing interactive applications.

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