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Careers

The material below is from the Prospects.ac.uk website: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/history
Employers value the research, analytical, teamwork and communication skills that history students develop throughout their degree.
Job options

Jobs directly related to a History degree include:

  • Academic researcher

  • Archivist

  • Heritage manager

  • Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer

  • Museum education officer

  • Museum/gallery curator

  • Museum/gallery exhibitions officer

  • Secondary school teacher

Jobs where a History degree would be useful include:

  • Academic librarian

  • Archaeologist

  • Broadcast journalist

  • Civil Service administrator

  • Editorial assistant

  • Human resources officer

  • Information officer

  • Marketing executive

  • Policy officer

  • Politician's assistant

  • Solicitor

  • Talent agent

Remember that many employers accept qualifications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

Work experience

Look for volunteering or work experience opportunities with organisations and businesses that you're interested in working for, or that will help you develop the skills relevant to your career interests. For example, if you're interested in a career in curatorship, try to get experience working with museum collections.

Volunteering to work for a heritage organisation or museum is another useful way of getting into the sector. Use any opportunities to build up a network of contacts.

If you're looking for a career in a different area, such as banking or law, internships offer the chance for more structured work experience and are usually well advertised, making them easier to find. Competition for places is strong so research the company well before applying.

Typical employers

History graduates are employed by a wide range of organisations including heritage organisations, museums and libraries. Other typical employers include:

  • accountancy firms

  • archive and records offices

  • banks

  • charities

  • higher education institutions (HEIs)

  • international development organisations

  • law firms

  • management consultancies

  • publishing companies

  • retailers

  • schools

  • television and radio broadcasters.

National and local government and the public services also attract history graduates, particularly the civil service (with some graduates applying to the Civil Service Fast Stream), NHS management, the police and armed services.

Skills for your CV

A degree in history develops your:

  • critical reasoning and analytical skills, including the capacity for solving problems and thinking creatively

  • intellectual rigour and independence, including the ability to conduct detailed research

  • ability to construct an argument and communicate findings in a clear and persuasive manner, both orally and in writing

  • capability to work without direct supervision and manage your time and priorities effectively

  • ability to discuss ideas in groups, and to negotiate, question and summarise

  • capacity to think objectively and approach problems and new situations with an open mind

  • appreciation of the different factors that influence the activities of groups and individuals in society.

Further study

Some history graduates go on to further study at Masters level in order to specialise in an area of history and cultures of interest to them.

However, many postgraduate courses accept graduates from any subject and this allows history graduates to choose subjects as diverse as:

  • accountancy

  • journalism

  • law

  • librarianship

  • museum studies

  • teaching.

These courses provide you with vocational training skills in discrete occupational areas.

Courses of further study include the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in primary or secondary teaching (known as the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in Scotland), the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), Masters courses in information management and museum studies, and certificates in corporate finance and personnel practice.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses.

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