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What is a Historian and What Do They Do?

Historians study and analyze historical documents, records, artifacts, and other sources to understand and describe events, cultures, and societies from the past. They gather data, form hypotheses, and draw conclusions about life in specific times and places, focusing on areas like politics, religion, culture, art, and architecture. Their findings are often published in books, reports, articles, or displayed in museums.

Historians work in various settings depending on their specialization. Most work indoors during regular hours, though some, such as those conducting field research, may work at historical sites. Many historians teach at schools or universities, using research-based methods to educate students. Others work in archives, maintaining and interpreting historical records, while some focus on creating and managing museum exhibits. About a quarter of historians are employed by the federal government, helping to preserve and interpret historical information for the public.

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Steps to Becoming a Historian

A historian needs to first graduate from high school and go on to earn a history degree at a 4-year institution. Upon receiving one's bachelor's degree, the prospective historian needs to attend a graduate program in their chosen area of specialization. Some jobs as historians require the candidate to have received a Ph.D. in their specialization within history. In such a competitive field, a historian candidate must do work in the field as they proceed through their college education to gain work experience.

  • Step 1: Become a Great Reader

  • Step 2: Search for a College and Financial Aid

  • Step 3: Earn Your Bachelor's Degree

  • Step 4: Intern, Volunteer, or Work in the Field

  • Step 5: Complete a Master's Degree Program

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Step 1: Become a Great Reader

Historians face a highly competitive job market, with many candidates vying for fewer positions. A key skill for success is the ability to read and understand historical documents, even if they are written in outdated forms of language. Historians must also read between the lines to discern the true events of the past, requiring strong reading skills.

Great reading habits start early, and students should read regularly from a range of text types. Historians need to read widely across many historical topics to develop a comprehensive understanding of the past. Struggling readers should seek tutoring or reading support to improve their skills, as the ability to synthesize information and generate new ideas is essential in historical research.

Step 2: Find a College and Financial Aid

You should research schools and universities that have highly-regarded history departments. Find colleges that appeal to your sense of history and the proper role of historians in society. With your SAT scores in hand, apply to the colleges that you have narrowed down to be the best fit for you.

If your parents have not saved enough money to put you through the college of your choice, you will need to secure financial aid to cover the shortfall. This begins when you fills out the FAFSA, a federal government form that allows students to apply for financial aid through their state, their college, and other sources of scholarships, grants, loans, and financial aid. If your state has a grant program, you should also apply to that. You can find other scholarships and grants to cover your shortfall in financial resources to cover the expenses for your first four years of college.

Step 3: Earn Your Bachelor's Degree

Since there are fewer positions for historians in a highly competitive field, you will need to keep your grades up and graduate near the top of your class. If your university has any societies that you can join as a history major, be sure to be an active member and include it on your resumes for jobs. You want to come out of your program with impeccable historical research skills that you can explain clearly and lucidly in an interview.

The only exception to the guidance on progressing through one's bachelor's degree is if you have your sights on becoming a history teacher in the school system. If this is the case, you must determine in advance of beginning your bachelor's degree program. In some states, you’ll need to have history as a major and be simultaneously taking teaching methods coursework. Each state is different in this regard.

Step 4: Intern, Volunteer, or Work in the Field

Since history is a highly competitive field, prospective historians in their bachelor's degree programs need to work in volunteer, intern, or paid positions that allow them to break into the field. Potential internships might be in museums, county historical societies, historical research organizations, and even living history sites such as the State of California Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma. It may be harder to obtain paid work, but internships and volunteer work in the field are plentiful.

Step 5: Complete a Master's Degree Program

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that few jobs are available to those with only a bachelor's degree in history, with museum technician being a key exception. Many history graduates pursue careers in journalism, law, or business, or teach at the public-school level. Most historians hold a master's or doctorate in history.

Those aiming to work in museums, archives, or historical societies should seek specialized graduate programs, such as museum studies, artifact preservation, archive management, or public history. Some programs may focus on specific historical periods or regions. Internships are often required and highly recommended for gaining practical experience.

The American Historical Association advises history graduates to carefully consider whether potential graduate programs offer the skills and knowledge needed for success in the field. Some specializations may even require language proficiency or time spent abroad.

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Skills to Acquire

  • A thorough, working knowledge of history and archeology
  • Reading comprehension to analyze historical records, documents, and artifacts
  • Writing skills to report one's research findings and conclusions
  • Speaking and other communication skills as another means of reporting one's findings and conclusions
  • Analytical skills to make hypotheses and come to conclusions about historical information and how it relates to how a society functioned in the past
  • Research skills, such as being able to find information, make hypotheses, and draw well-founded conclusions
  • Problem-solving skills to determine how events unfolded in a particular place and time
  • Software skills such as the ability to create presentations and websites and utilize archival databases and reference software
  • Archival skills, such as the ability to keep records and artifacts from decay and information cataloging and retrieval skills

Alternative Paths to Become a Historian

Archivists typically hold a master's in public history or archive management, though a degree in library science is also common. Some universities now offer blended programs combining both public history and library science for aspiring archivists. The Organization of American Historians notes that a bachelor's degree in fields like political science, anthropology, or English can still lead to admission into a master's program in history, meaning you don’t necessarily need a history degree to enter the field.

Another option is for history graduates to start as museum technicians and work their way up in the museum field. However, due to the competitive job market, this path may not lead to higher-level positions or career advancement in the history field.

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Historian Careers & Salary for Graduates

Where Might Historians Work?

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Historians can work in a variety of settings depending on their specialization. Common workplaces include museums, historical societies, archives, libraries, and government agencies, where they research, preserve, and interpret historical documents and artifacts. Many historians also work in academia, teaching at universities or colleges. Others may find roles in publishing, media, or as consultants for historical films and documentaries. Some work for nonprofit organizations, cultural institutions, or even private corporations that need historical expertise for projects, marketing, or legal matters.

Potential Career Paths for History Graduates

There is a great variety in the career paths of historians. They can focus upon education, research, archiving historical data, compiling and analyzing government data, or working in a museum.

Museum Technician
Museum technicians work under a conservator in order to maintain, restore, or prepare museum pieces for display, research, or exhibition. They also identify and catalog artifacts.

Secondary History Teacher
These educators share their love of history and a historical context with high school students.

Historian
These researchers gather information from the past in order to form hypotheses and ultimately conclusions about some aspect of life in a certain place and time. They present their findings and conclusions to further our understanding of what happened in the past.

College History Professor
Like most teachers, they are responsible for imparting information and knowledge to students, but these teachers also create future educators and historians with a huge impact on the field.

Archivist
Archivists collect, store, catalog, and retrieve historical artifacts, documents, and data.

Museum Curator
Manages and oversees the collection and exhibition of important historical displays at museums. The curator will need to be able to gather the pieces, create a theme, and oversee or create a visual presentation of the artifacts, information, photographs, videos, and documents.

Museum Conservator
Conservators ensure that the artifacts on display at a museum are recorded, preserved, and restored as needed. They ensure that displays keep artifacts from decaying or degenerating.

Museum Exhibit Designer/Content Creator
These historians put together artifacts, documents, and multi-media in order to tell a story in a museum display about a particular aspect of history.

Federal, State, and Local Historians
These historians analyze and compile historical data and trends for federal, state, and local governments.

Historic Preservation/Architectural Historians
These historians work to preserve and properly display historical buildings and other structures. They often work for historical societies or federal, state, or local governments.

Career Outlook

In general, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that the occupation of historian is going to increase at a rate of 6% between 2023 and 2033, which is average among occupations. The problem is that the number of jobs for historians is not as high as the number of new workers that join the labor market with the qualifications for such careers.

Some of the careers in history will be increasing at a greater pace than the rest of the field. There is more of a demand in the museum industry, since advances in technology have created more opportunity for large changes in how museums will display their collections to the public. The same is true of the archival field. There will be more growth in the archival field for archivists than in other positions for trained historians.

Future Education to Advance Your Career

Advancement within the historian career path depends on specialization. Public school and junior college teachers can advance into administration with additional credentials. College professors at 4-year institutions typically aim for tenure, which often requires research in addition to teaching. Federal historians can move up by gaining expertise in areas like library and archival science or museum studies, which can lead to higher-paying positions. Similarly, archivists with library science training often progress to higher federal job classifications.

Museum historians can improve job security and salary by gaining skills in new technologies that impact museum displays and interpretation. For those pursuing college-level teaching or historical research, a doctorate in history is required, particularly for those aiming to specialize in a particular era, region, or field of history. Given the competitive nature of the field, internships and additional training are recommended to enhance job prospects and career advancement.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does a historian do?

Historians study and preserve cultural history. They study, research, and analyze historical artifacts and documents.

How much do historians make?

Historians make around $63,000 annually according to Payscale.

Where do historians work?

Historians can work in archives, research organizations, museums, and historical societies.

How long does it take to become a historian?

Most historian positions require a master's degree. Some jobs can be done with a bachelor's degree such as a history teacher or a museum technician. Most people with a bachelor's history degree work in other areas such as journalism, law, or business.

What qualities should historians have?

Historians need writing skills, communication, analytical skills, research skills, and problem solving skills. Historians also need a thorough knowledge of history and archeology as well as reading and writing skills.

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