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John
Student
Yulee, Florida
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What are a few of jobs that you can have with a Major,Bachelors and doctoral in history
I am 18 years old and live in Yulee but I go to west Nassau. I also go to AFJROTC an West Nassau High School #majors
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Kelsey Peterson
Marketing Manager, Verizon Wireless
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Kelsey’s Answer
Hi! Speaking from experience as a history major (classical civilizations, so ANCIENT history), you can use a bachelor's in history for a LOT of jobs. When I graduated I was really focused on something in the "history field" but a lot of jobs at museums or historical societies at the time required a Masters or higher. Great if that is what you want to do, but I was eager to start paying off my student loans and didn't want to go right back into 2+ years of school to get my Masters.
I ended up working with the career counselor at my college to re-write my resume for non-history jobs. My resume for those focused on the Liberal Arts part of my Bachelor's degree and the skills and experience I had like critical thinking, writing, and researching. While some jobs require specific courses (like Chemistry for something in a lab), a lot of recruiters are just looking for a degree. It shows you are willing to put in the time and commitment, and you can use your cover letter or interview to show how the skills you learned getting a history degree could apply to the job you are applying for.
While in college for my BA in History I took a summer internship at the county historical society. I work for Verizon in marketing operations and used that as an example in a recent job interview. While planning a new museum display I had to take all the historical information on an item and synthesize it down to fit onto a standard display sign. I also learned how to adjust the information in my presentations based on different audiences (like elementary students vs. senior citizens visiting the museum). That was a perfect example because part of the Go to Market job I was applying for involved briefing people throughout the company on new launches. Sure, I would be talking about new phones instead of historical artifacts, but the skills are the same.
Also, the farther you get from college a lot more emphasis will be on your previous jobs & work experience than the type of degree you have.
I ended up working with the career counselor at my college to re-write my resume for non-history jobs. My resume for those focused on the Liberal Arts part of my Bachelor's degree and the skills and experience I had like critical thinking, writing, and researching. While some jobs require specific courses (like Chemistry for something in a lab), a lot of recruiters are just looking for a degree. It shows you are willing to put in the time and commitment, and you can use your cover letter or interview to show how the skills you learned getting a history degree could apply to the job you are applying for.
While in college for my BA in History I took a summer internship at the county historical society. I work for Verizon in marketing operations and used that as an example in a recent job interview. While planning a new museum display I had to take all the historical information on an item and synthesize it down to fit onto a standard display sign. I also learned how to adjust the information in my presentations based on different audiences (like elementary students vs. senior citizens visiting the museum). That was a perfect example because part of the Go to Market job I was applying for involved briefing people throughout the company on new launches. Sure, I would be talking about new phones instead of historical artifacts, but the skills are the same.
Also, the farther you get from college a lot more emphasis will be on your previous jobs & work experience than the type of degree you have.
Annie Han
Manager
4
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San Francisco, California
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Annie’s Answer
What are some jobs one can do with a Bachelor's, Master's or PhD (doctorate) in History?
At the Bachelors level, a Major in History is a great, well-rounded launchpad to several career fields that touch upon research, inquiry and writing skills commonly used in the social sciences. Jobs requiring a social sciences research bent such as analyst, product research, curator, K-12 teaching (including a high school single-subject history teacher), or many writing-based jobs could benefit from one's strong background in historical analysis and written communication of ideas. Some who've majored in History choose to pursue legal careers, where a solid understanding of legal history, political science and analysis skills will serve them well in future training as a lawyer. There may be additional certifications or training required depending on the job (such as to teach history in high schools you will need to pursue also K-12 teaching licensure or go into private school teaching, and to become a lawyer you will need to pursue law school after completing your Bachelor's degree).
Some Bachelor's students of history may become very interested in a historical field, and choose to progress on to a Master's in History or directly from a Bachelor's to a History PhD program. A Master's of History is less common but can provide good foundation or exploration in depth of a particular focus in history, should one like.
A PhD in history is a program requiring commitment, time and passion for a historical field - so much so that you could imagine yourself becoming a published scholar in that historical field down the road. Following a PhD in history, many doctorates choose to pursue teaching at universities, either as a tenure-track/tenured professor within a university's History department, as a part-time or adjunct lecturer at universities to teach history courses, or go into research, humanities-based, civic or cultural organizations for jobs outside of academia.
I often see history as a major that opens many, diverse doors...it just depends on what door you want to pick and build into from your history degree!
At the Bachelors level, a Major in History is a great, well-rounded launchpad to several career fields that touch upon research, inquiry and writing skills commonly used in the social sciences. Jobs requiring a social sciences research bent such as analyst, product research, curator, K-12 teaching (including a high school single-subject history teacher), or many writing-based jobs could benefit from one's strong background in historical analysis and written communication of ideas. Some who've majored in History choose to pursue legal careers, where a solid understanding of legal history, political science and analysis skills will serve them well in future training as a lawyer. There may be additional certifications or training required depending on the job (such as to teach history in high schools you will need to pursue also K-12 teaching licensure or go into private school teaching, and to become a lawyer you will need to pursue law school after completing your Bachelor's degree).
Some Bachelor's students of history may become very interested in a historical field, and choose to progress on to a Master's in History or directly from a Bachelor's to a History PhD program. A Master's of History is less common but can provide good foundation or exploration in depth of a particular focus in history, should one like.
A PhD in history is a program requiring commitment, time and passion for a historical field - so much so that you could imagine yourself becoming a published scholar in that historical field down the road. Following a PhD in history, many doctorates choose to pursue teaching at universities, either as a tenure-track/tenured professor within a university's History department, as a part-time or adjunct lecturer at universities to teach history courses, or go into research, humanities-based, civic or cultural organizations for jobs outside of academia.
I often see history as a major that opens many, diverse doors...it just depends on what door you want to pick and build into from your history degree!
Tracy Ann Pringer Richardson
Graduate Analyst
2
Answers
Huntsville, Texas
Updated
Tracy Ann’s Answer
Hi John - Most people I know with degrees in History are in some field of teaching. Whether it's K-12 or at a university/college. Some also go into research. I've provided a link that talks more about careers for students of history. Hope this helps!
https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-resources/careers-for-students-of-history
https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-resources/careers-for-students-of-history