Careers in Historyfaculty.tnstate.edu/

edachowski/

careers_in_history.htm

Value of a History Degree• Ability to find information • Ability to read, understand, evaluate,

and synthesize information• Ability to explain complex ideas • Ability to put events in a larger

context• Ability to adapt and learn new skills• Ability to recognize ethical issues

Career Clusters for History Majors

• Public History

• Teaching and research

• Pre-professional preparation

• Humanities

Public History• Museum Studies

– Master’s of Public History desirable

– Internships available for undergraduates and recent graduates

– Manage collections

– Stage exhibits

– Provide outreach to community

Public History• Historic preservation

– Master’s of Public History desirable, internships available

– Preserve and maintain buildings, archaeological sites, historic landscapes

– Provide community outreach– Research significance of sites

Public History• Archival Management

– Masters in Public History desirable, internships available

– Preserve fragile documents– Organize documents– Help public access documents– Community Outreach

Public History• Other employment opportunities

– Genealogical research

– Consulting

– Digitization of collections

– Making documentary films

– Living history

Teaching and Research• Public High Schools:

– Teacher licensure usually required

– Emergency or special certification sometimes an option

– Master’s or doctorate desirable for advancement

Teaching and Research• Private High Schools

– Teacher licensure not usually required– Graduate study often desirable– Pay less but resources and teaching

conditions sometimes better

Teaching and Research• Community Colleges

– M.A. in History required

– M.Ed. sometimes acceptable

Teaching and Research• 4-Year Colleges and Universities

– Ph.D. in History required– Substantial publication desirable for

research schools– Evidence of some publication desirable

for teaching schools– Should be willing to relocate

Graduate and Professional School

• Law

• Business

• Library Science

• Public Administration

Jobs for Humanities Majors

• Diplomacy, international relations• Intelligence (CIA, FBI, etc.)• Non-profits• Business• Consulting

Jobs for Humanities Majors

• Writing– Journalism

– Publishing

– Free-lance writing (articles, newsletters)

– Writing non-fiction (books)

– Writing fiction (novels)

Famous History MajorsTheodore Roosevelt

Franklin Roosevelt

W. E. B. du Bois

Newt Gingrich

Wolf Blitzer

Martha StewartJaneane Garofalo

Conan O'Brien

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Seymour Hersh

Antonin Scalia

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Chris Berman

Lee Iacoca

Carly Fiorina

Web Resources• faculty.tnstate.edu/edachowski/careers_in_history.htm• www.tnstate.edu/careers/ • www.tnstate.edu/oce/ • www.binghamton.edu/cdc/ugrad/majors/pdf/history.pdf• www.historians.org/jobs/index.htm • www.beyondacademe.com/ • www.publichistory.org/• edachowski@tnstate.edu