Career Information for 
History Majors at SRU

Begin by visiting the Phi Alpha Theta
national office's information on careers for History majors

See also the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's
Employment Opportunities for College Graduates

SECTION I: 
What can I do with a history degree?

**************************************

"What is needed in management today is the ability to think independently and creatively;  to function in an imperfect, changing, and ambiguous environment;  to make decisions when all data required to solve the problem are not available;  to negotiate and compromise;  to be risk seeking and entrepreneurial;  not to rely on quantitative data;  to recognize short- and long-term implications;  to avoid the obvious and solely subjective;  to develop effective working relations with peers;  to motivate people and resolve conflicts;  and to establish international networks.  These are all abilities fostered by the Liberal Arts."    Arthur F. Oppenheimer, President, Oppenheimer Companies, Inc.

**************************************

History majors have a wealth of career possibilities in today's economy, including jobs in government (international, national, state, and local), the private sector (industry and businesses at all levels) , and a series of professional positions requiring post-baccalaureate training (see Section II below).  

Success after graduation rarely happens by accident, and career choices made in desperation by default rarely yield appreciable job satisfaction. Instead, history majors do well after graduation when they take charge of their education early on and utilize their educational opportunities at SRU to enhance their professional possibilities.  Specifically:

(1)  FRESHMAN YEAR:  Do not waste a lot of time with courses that serve no purpose.  As you begin to select  General Education courses and electives, you ought to be considering your long-term career aspirations and choose your courses accordingly--even during your freshman year.  The tendency among many students (freshmen and otherwise) is to seek out the 'path of least resistance'.  Bad move.  While a few "fun, easy" "blow-off" courses are o.k., employers will not be impressed with a large number of courses that serve no professional purpose.  So, choose your courses wisely.  If you are not sure what constitutes wise selection of courses, consult with your advisor.

(2)  SOPHOMORE YEAR:  Your choice of courses and your selection of minor(s) ought now to be guided increasingly by your career aspirations.  If, for example, you wish to go into pharmaceutical sales for Eli Lilly, you ought to be taking science- and/or business-related courses as your electives.  If you are not sure what courses will be appropriate for your professional ambitions, consult with your advisor AND be sure to begin familiarizing yourself with the career-related resources identified at the top of this web site.  These resources will enable you to see what skills prospective employers look for in their successful applicants, and you can map your course selection accordingly.  

(3)  JUNIOR YEAR:  You should be exploring career options carefully by now.  Moreover, you ought to be preparing a rudimentary résumé that reflects your education and career ambitions.  Also, begin now looking for opportunities to get valuable work-related experience--internships and summer jobs are most appropriate.  You need to be familiar by now with the "rhetoric" of the work force:  what language do prospective employers use to seek out persons with degrees in history??  "Wanted:  liberal arts majors"?  "Wanted:  humanities majors"?  "Wanted:  history majors"?  What do these prospective employers do with history majors?  Why would they want to hire you?  Remember, consult the resources located at the top of this web site as you consider these issues--you MUST know how to market yourself and your skills in a package that appeals to prospective employers.

(4)  SENIOR YEAR:  Early in the academic year, you ought to begin sending out up-to-date résumés with appropriate, job-specific cover letters.  Use these letters and initial contacts to arrange interviews.  Remember that you must couch your interaction with these prospective employers in language that they commonly use in their own job listings.  If they seek "liberal arts majors," speak to them as a person with a degree in the liberal arts.

SECTION II: 
Professional Schooling
Beyond the Bachelor's Degree

SPEAKING GENERALLY:

(1)  Persons with degrees in history go to medical school, dental school, business school, law school, and graduate school in pursuit of additional professional training.  Using the advice already outlined here, undergraduate students in history who wish to pursue additional training after graduate ought to shape their course selection accordingly.  If, for example, you wish to go to medical school you must take courses that prepare you to meet medical school application guidelines mandated by the American Medical Association. If you desire to go to medical school or to receive some other non-history professional training, follow the steps outlined in Part I and work closely with the appropriate pre-professional counseling personnel at SRU.  Speak with your undergraduate advisor if you have any questions in this regard.

PURSUING A GRADUATE DEGREE IN HISTORY: 

(2)  If you wish to pursue advanced training in history, you ought to begin preparation by  identifying faculty in our department with expertise in areas that interest you.  This will help you significantly as you begin to evaluate graduate schools.  If, for example, you are interested in Civil War history, you would do well to consult with Dr. David Dixon, our expert on Civil War history.  In most any field of history, our faculty can help you identify graduate programs appropriate for your interests and skills.  They can also help steer you away from errors that might prevent you from gaining admission to the graduate school of your choice.

(3)  Graduate schools will use four basic criteria when evaluating your application to attend graduate school:  (a) grade point averages, (b) letters of application (see #4 below), (c) admissions test scores, and (d) letters of recommendation.  If you are even remotely interested in graduate training, you need to keep in mind ALL the comments made in Part I, and remember that your grades will help determine whether or not you can pursue graduate training.  This leaves little room for poor grades.

(4)  Finally, when you apply to graduate schools you must AVOID writing broad, overly-philosophical letters of application like, "I want to get a graduate degree in history to change the world because I love people..."  Write instead very specifically (a) why you want to study history at that particular school, (b) what the school has that will enable you to successfully complete your graduate training, and (c)  who you want to work with on the school's faculty.  Preferably, you should contact the prospective faculty ahead of time and find out if she/he would be willing to direct your graduate training if you are admitted.  If you do receive this type of endorsement, be sure to mention it in your letter of application.

And, for some humor on the subject of graduate schools (realizing that the info provided at the following URL provides little in the way of actual useful information re/how to get into grad schools--but is helpful and funny in other ways), click here to go to this site.