History graduates work in such fields as business, law, health care, government, and journalism, as well as in librarianship, archival and museum management, and education at all levels.
Skills gained in this program include:
Writing competencies: Writing clearly and concisely, framing an argument and presenting evidence to support it, and editing analytical writing.
Research experience: conducting research in primary documents and sources, finding and managing information with real-world applications.
Critical reading and thinking: reading closely texts and sources from the past, analyzing the secondary works written by professional historians and journalists, and judging the persuasiveness of written and oral
arguments.
Communication: listening carefully to lectures and the give-and-take of discussion and debate and presenting concise and clear summaries and arguments to one's peers.
Career Choices
Archivist
Biographer
Business administrator
Cultural or charitable organization president
Consultant
Counselor
Editor and publisher
Foreign service officer
Historian
Journalist
Lawyer
Librarian
Market research analyst
Military officer
Physician, health care worker, health sciences researcher
Politician or Public official
Researcher
Teacher
University administrator
Writer
Alumni in History have found employment in the following fields:
Archival and library management
Banking
Civil service
Communications
Elementary, Secondary, and Higher Education
Federal, state, and local government
Foreign service and the Military
Health Care
Investment services
Law
Marketing and advertising
Museums
Newspapers/media
Non-profit organizations and institutes
Public relations
University administration
Salary Information
Salaries range greatly from one occupation, position, and work setting to another. According to the American Historical Association, in 2014 the median salary for a person holding a History B.A. ranged from $52,000-$62,000.
Those with advanced graduate degrees, such as a law degree, earned up to $86,000.