What can I do with a History Major?

In today’s rapidly changing world and workforce, History graduates are in an excellent competitive position. 

You are trained to think critically, evaluate often conflicting and ambiguous sources of information, write clearly, and summarize and analyze effectively.  While learning about the complex world around you and how we got where we are now, you will learn skills transferable to a wide variety of career opportunities. 

Students graduating with a B.A. in History find themselves in positions in business, banking, law, archive management, museum work, foreign service, as well as teaching, to name just a few of the hundreds of jobs available for History graduates.  Business leaders and personnel managers often say that the most important kind of person they are looking for is one who can adapt, continue to learn, make comparisons and recognize previous patterns which can be modified from the past for the present, communicate effectively and clearly, and who can deal with a multicultural environment.  They are looking for someone who is aware of the many levels of ideas, relationships, and identities that make up the human condition.  You will be well prepared to meet these requirements.  

Besides, the study of History is also immensely entertaining and rewarding in itself!  Graduates with History degrees often study it because they love it.  They may not work in a field directly related to History, but they have successful careers in many other fields.  Seven History majors, at least so far, have become president of the United States — Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and George W. Bush.

General Description

History is a narrative account of the political, social, and cultural events and achievements of mankind.  Historians evaluate and analyze documents and records relating to the deeds and aspirations of past generations and use this knowledge to understand and interpret the present.

With a Bachelor's Degree, you can get entry-level jobs in government service, communications, banking, finance, and sales.  You need an advanced degree to consider yourself a professional historian and to find jobs in research or archival work. Those who go on for additional training often become lawyers or college teachers.