History

A history degree gives you the skills that can take you into a variety of careers from museum and heritage work to teaching or accountancy

Job options

Jobs directly related to your 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 your 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

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

Pre-entry work experience is highly valued in the museum and heritage sector. Look for volunteering or work experience opportunities within the area in which you're interested. For example, if you'd like a career in curatorship, try to get experience working with museum collections.

Use any opportunities to build up a network of contacts as well as provide the skills required for your chosen job.

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.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

History graduates are valued by a range of employers and 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.

Find information on employers in creative arts and design, public services and administration, teaching and education and other job sectors.

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 enter careers 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 law conversion courses, one-year teacher training courses, 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 in history.

What do history graduates do?

The top ten jobs held by history graduates employed in the UK 15 months after graduation include secondary education teaching professionals (6%), advertising and marketing (3%), admin (3%), HR officers (3%), primary education teaching professionals (2%), PR professionals (2%), national government administrative occupations (2%) and chartered and certified accountants (2%).

For a detailed breakdown of what history graduates are doing after graduation, see What do graduates do?

Graduate Outcomes survey data from HESA.