History Degree Jobs: A Career Guide for History Majors

Key takeaways

With a history degree, you may qualify for various jobs, including analyst, writer, legal assistant, and archivist.

• Industries such as education, museums, and government often offer higher salaries for historians.

• History majors often acquire skills such as effective communication, analysis, critical thinking, writing, and collaboration. 

• You can use your history degree to obtain roles such as analyst and marketing manager, both of which have healthy job outlooks.

Explore seven history degree jobs you may qualify for after completing your education. Discover the salaries and job outlooks for each position and the additional requirements you need to get the role. To strengthen your writing and editing skills, enroll in the Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialization. You’ll have the opportunity to learn creative ways to use syntax, tips to help you punctuate and paragraph like a professional, and techniques for adding nuance to your sentences. 

What can you do with a history degree?

As a history major, you learn skills, including communicating effectively and analyzing research, that can help you prepare for different job positions. History majors often participate in relevant political discourse, research historical events to understand their context, and write using critical thinking. History majors are typically well-equipped to collaborate with others, evaluate historical information, and account for a wide range of perspectives.

History majors understand the influence of the past on the present and often use that understanding to strengthen the organizations they work with.

What is the highest paying job with a history degree?

Historians hold a range of positions in various industries, which, along with location and experience level, can significantly impact their salaries. Industries such as education, museums, and government often offer higher salaries, with states like Alaska, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island being noted for their compensation for historians [1]. 

7 history degree jobs: What jobs can you get with a history degree?

You can typically qualify for various jobs with a history degree, including analyst, writer, legal assistant, and archivist. The following seven careers offer a glimpse into working professionally in history or using the knowledge acquired while completing your history degree in multiple industries. 

1. Analyst

Median annual US salary: $76,950 [2] 

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 7 percent [2]

Requirements: Analysts typically need a bachelor’s degree and analytical and decision-making skills. Some employers prefer candidates with certifications and master’s degrees for the role. 

Analysts study and evaluate trends in data sets for their company. As an analyst, you consult your client or the company you work for about decisions and draft reports on financial, political, or marketing trends, depending on your specific position. Analysts can help protect their clients' future based on past and current data.

As a marketing analyst, you analyze the effectiveness of previous marketing strategies and use that analysis to develop plans for the future. To achieve a higher position in your company as a marketing analyst, you may need to complete a master’s degree. 

Financial analysts make recommendations based on their evaluations of financial trends. In some cases, taking the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam from the CFA Institute is a requirement for financial analysts, in addition to obtaining a bachelor’s degree.

As a political analyst, you gather and interpret data to formulate theories and assessments that influence policymakers. Most of your work may focus on researching political systems and current social trends to forecast future economic, political, and social trends and inform stakeholders of possible impacts.

2. Researcher

Median annual US salary: $74,050 [3] 

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 2 percent [3]

Requirements: If you’re considering a career as a researcher or historian, you want to pay strong attention to detail, be a proficient writer, and have the ability to analyze data. A bachelor’s degree is typically sufficient for this role, though some employers require a master’s degree. Internship experience may help you advance in this particular career.

Researchers are responsible for answering an academic or political question based on analytical and detailed research in a certain field of study. Researchers in history often focus on a specific historical event and answer a question centered around that event. 

As a researcher, you write reports on your findings, analyze historical data and political opinions, and conduct interviews to obtain first-hand accounts of historical events. You may consult journals and news articles, as well as books and digital sources, to form an opinion and interpret the context of the historical event or question you are researching. 

3. Marketing manager

Median annual US salary: $159,660 [4] 

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 6 percent [4]

Requirements: Marketing managers need creativity, attention to detail, and interpersonal skills. Educational requirements for this role typically involve completing a bachelor’s degree. 

Marketing managers are responsible for executing marketing initiatives and developing relationships with stakeholders in their company. As a marketing manager, you'll lead departmental teams and determine which markets benefit your organization most. 

As a marketing manager, you identify and execute strategic goals for your company to create successful marketing campaigns. You collect data and research to identify and understand your company's target audience. You'll also be responsible for monitoring trends in marketing and developing strategies to ensure the satisfaction of your target audience.

4. Technical writer

Median annual US salary: $91,670 [5] 

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 1 percent [5]

Requirements: Critical thinking, attention to detail, and writing skills are qualities typically found in a technical writer. If you’re interested in this career, employers typically require a bachelor’s degree, and you may need specific knowledge of the technical field you write for.

Technical writers create journal articles, how-to guides, instruction manuals, and other documents to convey helpful information. Also referred to as technical communicators, technical writers gather and interpret the technical information needed to write coherent, useful content. 

As a technical writer, you may create paper-based documents and digital content for websites and social media pages. You may write frequently asked questions for consumers as well as detailed instructions for staff members.

5. Legal assistant or paralegal

Median annual US salary: $61,010 [6] 

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): No change [6]

Requirements: To become a legal assistant, you must be detail-oriented and have strong research and organizational skills. A legal assistant or paralegal typically has an associate degree or paralegal certifications, but employers may also require a bachelor’s degree.

As a legal assistant or paralegal, you assist lawyers during a case and often have many responsibilities depending on the case or lawyer you're working with. While under the supervision of a lawyer, you attend court cases, draft legal documents, and organize past documents. 

As a legal assistant, you conduct extensive research on the case you are working on to determine which materials are relevant in court. Paralegals use research skills to find and examine these specific materials and to develop a familiarity with state laws and regulations. As a legal assistant, one of your main responsibilities will be to aid the lawyer's success in court, as you will prepare exhibits and assemble evidence in an organized manner.

6. Archivist or curator

Median annual US salary: $57,100 [7]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 6 percent [7]

Requirements: You'll need to be detail-oriented and have organizational skills to be an archivist or curator. Employers typically ask for a master’s degree in history, art history, or museum studies. A bachelor’s degree may be sufficient, depending on the museum's size. 

Archivists or curators oversee the collections of a museum or gallery space. When you work as an archivist or curator, you handle the cataloging, preservation, authentication, and obtaining of works for the museum’s collection and organize a database to keep track of all the objects.

As an archivist, you often work alongside researchers to provide them with historical materials and sources. Archivists and curators design exhibitions to showcase the objects in the museum’s collection. You must also be able to interact with the public to provide information and accessibility regarding your museum’s collections. You update your institution’s database as new information or research becomes available on the objects.

Learn more: What Is a Database?

7. Grant writer

Median annual US salary: $72,270 [8]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2024 to 2034): 4 percent [8]

Requirements: Grant or technical writers need to have writing and research skills. A bachelor’s degree is typically required for this position.

Grant writers are responsible for researching grants and drafting, writing, and sending grant reports on behalf of their company. Grant writers are persuasive and creative and understand grant writing guidelines to ensure they can obtain funds and donations. As a grant writer, you communicate with potential donors to convince them that their generosity benefits your company and them. 

Grant writers need to be comfortable with the requirements of writing a grant and how to persuade clients without jeopardizing the organization's integrity. You must be deliberate with your word choice and ensure your organization—in most cases, a non-profit—receives a steady influx of monetary donations. As a grant writer, you develop and maintain relationships between your company and donors, and you are responsible for ensuring their continuous support. 

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