What Type of Jobs Can I Get with a History Degree?

There are many types of jobs you can seek with a history degree. Some of the most common options are those that involve teaching. For example, you may choose to become a high school history teacher or a college history professor. You may also pursue a career as a museum technician or curator with this type of degree. You may even choose to become a history writer, editor, researcher, or advocate with this type of education. The jobs that are most suitable for you will likely depend on your interest, skills, and the number of years of history education you complete.

One of the career paths you can choose with a history degree is academia. You may, for example, choose to teach history. Depending on your interests and the type of history degree you earn, you could begin a career teaching history in elementary, middle, or high school. You can even opt to teach history in college. In general, earning an advanced history degree will allow you to teach older students and may translate into more job opportunities and better pay; many jurisdictions, however, allow you to teach younger students with a bachelor’s degree.

You may also find job opportunities working for a museum after earning a history degree. Often, museums hire people who hold history degrees for such positions as technicians and curators. It is important to note, however, that you may have the best chance of landing a high-level job with this degree if you continue your education past four years of college. Earning a master’s or doctoral degree might improve your chances of landing the job you want.

After earning a history degree, you can also pursue a job as a history writer or editor. For example, you may write textbooks, non-fiction books about history, or even fictional books that are based on historical periods. You can also choose to edit history material written by others. These career paths can be pursued with a bachelor's degree, but you might have more credibility with an advanced degree.

Research or advocacy career opportunities also can be explored with a history degree. For example, after earning a bachelor’s degree in history, you could go on to attend law school. You can also consider a career in government. Additionally, you may find jobs as a researcher or policy advisor with this type of degree.