The beauty of a degree in history is that it can prepare you for any number of careers. You get to develop specialist knowledge of a subject you actually enjoy, without narrowing your job options after graduation.
Museums, heritage centres and galleries offer a range of employment opportunities. You can work directly with visitors as front of house staff, responsible for ticketing and tour guides, but with your background as a history graduate, you may find you can apply directly for curatorial roles.
- Exhibitions Officers assist in delivering and maintaining exhibitions, from sourcing archive materials to organising tours.
- If you’re interested in promoting museums and galleries as sites of learning, you might be suited to a position within an Education or Outreach team.
- Most museums and galleries will have their own marketing and public relations teams, and with a combination of expert knowledge and highly developed communication skills a history graduate is an excellent fit.
If you’re interested in working directly with historic materials and preserving them for future use, you may be drawn to working as a librarian or archivist. These roles often require a postgraduate qualification, and having demonstrated your interest in the past through your history degree, you’ll be well on track to apply for assistant roles when you take those first steps along your career path.
Do bear in mind, the skills you develop as a student of history are essential for a wide variety of careers that are not directly linked to the study of history.
- Your ability to evaluate evidence, analyse sources and write persuasive arguments could be the foundation of a career in law, whether as a lawyer or in an administrative role.
- Your commitment to research and investigation are ideal qualities for a journalist.
- If your love of history is based on an interest in people and their backgrounds you may be suited to working in human resources or social work.
- Your capacity for critical thinking and ability to predict outcomes are invaluable for roles within government or the civil service.
- A broad cultural knowledge combined with an attention to detail is a very desirable attribute for those who wish to work in publishing or the media.
History breeds a passion for research. It is not uncommon for BA History graduates to go into further study and specialise more deeply in a period of interest. Studying for an MA, developing your research skills and working more closely with primary sources may be your route into academic life as a professional historian. If the communication of ideas and knowledge drives you, an educational role may be your ideal career path, whether that’s based at a school, college or other centre of learning.