Careers in History

1
Careers in History

• faculty.tnstate.edu/
• edachowski/
• careers_in_history.htm

2
Value of a History Degree

• Ability to find information
• Ability to read, understand, evaluate, and
  synthesize information
• Ability to explain complex ideas
• Ability to put events in a larger context
• Ability to adapt and learn new skills
• Ability to recognize ethical issues

3
Career Clusters for History Majors

• Public History
• Teaching and research
• Pre-professional preparation
• Humanities

4
Public History

• Museum Studies
• Masters of Public History desirable
• Internships available for undergraduates and
  recent graduates
• Manage collections
• Stage exhibits
• Provide outreach to community

5
Public History

• Historic preservation
• Masters of Public History desirable, internships
  available
• Preserve and maintain buildings, archaeological
  sites, historic landscapes
• Provide community outreach
• Research significance of sites

6
Public History

• Archival Management
• Masters in Public History desirable, internships
  available
• Preserve fragile documents
• Organize documents
• Help public access documents
• Community Outreach

7
Public History

• Other employment opportunities
• Genealogical research
• Consulting
• Digitization of collections
• Making documentary films
• Living history

8
Teaching and Research

• Public High Schools
• Teacher licensure usually required
• Emergency or special certification sometimes an
  option
• Masters or doctorate desirable for advancement

9
Teaching and Research

• Private High Schools
• Teacher licensure not usually required
• Graduate study often desirable
• Pay less but resources and teaching conditions
  sometimes better

10
Teaching and Research

• Community Colleges
• M.A. in History required
• M.Ed. sometimes acceptable

11
Teaching and Research

• 4-Year Colleges and Universities
• Ph.D. in History required
• Substantial publication desirable for research
  schools
• Evidence of some publication desirable for
  teaching schools
• Should be willing to relocate

12
Graduate and Professional School

• Law
• Business
• Library Science
• Public Administration

13
Jobs for Humanities Majors

• Diplomacy, international relations
• Intelligence (CIA, FBI, etc.)
• Non-profits
• Business
• Consulting

14
Jobs for Humanities Majors

• Writing
• Journalism
• Publishing
• Free-lance writing (articles, newsletters)
• Writing non-fiction (books)
• Writing fiction (novels)

15
Famous History Majors
Carly Fiorina

• Theodore Roosevelt

Wolf Blitzer
W. E. B. du Bois
Conan O'Brien
Newt Gingrich
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Seymour Hersh
Janeane Garofalo
Martha Stewart
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Franklin Roosevelt
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Chris Berman
Antonin Scalia
Lee Iacoca
16
Web Resources

• faculty.tnstate.edu/edachowski/careers_in_history.
  htm
• www.tnstate.edu/careers/
• www.tnstate.edu/oce/
• www.binghamton.edu/cdc/ugrad/majors/pdf/history.pd
  f
• www.historians.org/jobs/index.htm
• www.beyondacademe.com/
• www.publichistory.org/
• edachowski_at_tnstate.edu