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Last modified:
02:31 PM, 03/03/08
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OAH Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I am requesting information on becoming a historian. Where do they work, and what are their possible jobs?
A. Go to http://www.oah.org/pubs/careerinfo.html, the Career Information for Historians page on the OAH website. It provides lists of organizations that offer career information career opportunities for historians. Also check the OAH Links for the History Profession at http://www.oah.org/announce/links.html.
Q. How does one find or make a career in history, and what do I need to do in college to become a historian?
A. Besides taking plenty of history classes, it is crucial to have courses that develop writing ability. Also, any good college course that sharpens critical thinking skills, research abilities, or explores varied approaches to understanding society and culture will help. Economics, literature, political science, art history, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, etc., – all of these are useful to those who study the past. Ultimately, a degree in history is required. At a minimum, a B.A. with a major in history, is necessary for most history-related jobs. Even better is a Master’s degree–though one need not have majored in history in college to get an M.A. in history. For example, one could major in anthropology, political science, or English in college, and still get into a history Masters program. Likewise, to get a Ph.D. in history, one need not have been a history major in college or receive an M.A. in history. Of course, the more history classes the better, and the easier it is to do the work necessary to go and receive advance degrees in history. While in college, an internship might help clarify your goals. Or soon after college, perhaps during your first year or two of “real world” work experience, you can look around and decide what kind of historical work interests you most. Many people with history M.A.s become teachers or work in museums, libraries, historical societies, history consulting firms, etc. Most with Ph.D.s in history become professors at four- or two-year colleges or at universities. In the past several years, however, more and more information has become available about careers for historians with B.A.s, M.A.s, and Ph.D.s outside of colleges and universities, in what is known as the realm of “public history,” i.e., everything outside of academia.
A good place to begin exploring careers is the American Historical Association’s web page at http://www.historians.org/jobs/index.htm. Another good web page on careers or types of work that historians do is at the Public History Resource Center at http://www.publichistory.org//employment/index.asp. For interesting discussions of why people become historians and how they have shaped their careers, go the AHA’s “Why Become an Historian” at http://www.historians.org/pubs/Free/why/blackeyintro.htm.
A search using Google or other such web search engine for “careers for history major” will turn up links to college and university history departments that have compiled helpful information for current or prospective history majors. These college/university history department web pages also typically have information about the coursework required for a history degree. While it varies from institution to institution, you can get a good idea of the general requirements and expectations involved.
Q. What kind of education is required to become a historian? What does a professional historian do? How does he/she do it?
A. That depends upon what type of historian you want to become. Do you want to practice public history? Do you want to teach history at the precollegiate, collegiate, or graduate level? Again, look at http://www.oah.org/pubs/careerinfo.html, the OAH's Career Information for Historians page, and the OAH Links for the History Profession at http://www.oah.org/announce/links.html to see what's available and how to get into it.
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