Careers for History Majors | Department of History

What do employers want most in recent college graduates? According to a study by Forbes, they want people who work well on teams, exercise good judgment, solve problems, communicate well, plan and prioritize work, obtain and process information, write and edit reports, and sell and influence others. These are all skills that you will learn as a History major or minor.

What can I do with a history degree?

The possibilities are endless!

Law-Lawyer, Human Rights Officer, Criminal Justice Analyst, Paralegal
Business-Marketing Manager, CEO, Management Consultant, Research analyst
Politics-Campaign manager, FBI/CIA, Legislative aide, Policy analyst
Education-Teacher, Administrator, Advisor, Counselor
Libraries-Archivist, Research Librarian, Outreach Librarian, Library Director
Communication and Media-Journalist, Producer, Publicist, Editor
Museums-Curator, Exhibitions and Collection Manager, Grant Writer, Programs Manager

Our alumni have also worked in technology, non-profit management, entertainment, publishing, and more!

Read alumni stories

What skills do you gain from a degree in history?

The skills you gain with a degree in history are highly transferrable across a range of industries and professions.

Critical and analytical thinking
Ability to learn quickly and solve problems
Creative and engaged storytelling
Experience conducting thorough research
Aptitude for sorting and condensing information
Clear, concise, and compelling communication
An understanding of the connections between social, political, and economic events between local, national, and international communities
An understanding of the intersections between race, gender, and class

Did you know?

Student tossing graduation cap in the air

94% of surveyed 2022-2023 University of Illinois history graduates secured a first destination, which means they’ve gotten jobs, are heading to graduate school, or are volunteering full time (that's higher than the campus average!)
95.5% of history majors age 25-65 are employed in a professional field and students graduating from Illinois with a history degree report average mid-career earnings of $78,758.
Nine out of 10 employers want applicants with deep knowledge and understanding of democratic institutions and values, per the American Association of Colleges and Universities 2015 report.
History majors score almost 9 percent higher on the GMAT than business majors, according to the 2013 Humanities Report Card from AAAS.
Our alumni work in almost every conceivable field, including law, business, tech, community outreach, teaching and more.
In a fast-changing world, the skills you build will be relevant to jobs that may not even exist yet.

Learn more about our undergraduate program

Resources

The University of Illinois and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offer a variety of career counseling services that you can take advantage of as a student.

Career Center LAS Career Services Paul M. Lisnek LAS Hub

Internships for history students

Internships are an essential way for history students to explore career paths and hone their skills. We have developed relationships across campus with professionals who want to work with history students. Our interns have contributed to exhibits and collections at the Spurlock Museum, visitor services and collections at the Champaign County History Museum, and more.

Learn more about internship opportunities

Famous History Majors

Theodore Roosevelt

W.E.B. DuBois

Elena Kagan

Samantha Power

Clemson Smith Muñiz

Steve Carell

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Annie Proulx

More famous history majors

Austin Justice with his arms crossed in front of a lake.

Alumni Spotlight: Austin Justice (2020)

Austin Justice (BA,'20, history) is an assistant editor for the Papers of Abraham Lincoln at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum and an archives assistant for Northeastern University's Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project.