Historians

Job description

A typical project might mean months spent researching a specific era or region using government records, letters, photographs, or other archival material before writing up conclusions about what happened and why it mattered. Historians also work to preserve and catalog historical materials and often take on public-facing work, speaking to historical societies or advising institutions on whether a document or artifact is authentic. Most positions require a graduate degree, a master's for some applied roles, though a PhD is standard in academic and research settings, and the work is largely independent and desk-based.

A typical day

The morning is spent in an archive's reading room with white gloves and a box of 1930s letters no one has cited before, transcribing passages and photographing pages under strict handling rules. Lunch is a working one — comparing notes against a database of sources, tagging contradictions between what two eyewitnesses claimed. The afternoon shifts to writing: two careful pages of a chapter arguing a new interpretation, every claim footnoted to a source that can be checked. Late in the day there's a consultation call — a documentary producer needs the record straightened on a local event — and a final hour reviewing a colleague's manuscript, because the field runs on scholars checking each other's evidence.

Tasks at the job

• Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
• Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.
• Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
• Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.
• Speak to various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the aims and activities of historical societies.
• Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period.

Workplace & working conditions

Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk.

You're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. The work is highly structured, following set procedures.

Education necessary or common

Master's degree for some applied roles; a PhD is standard for academic and research positions

Common college majors

Career path

Related fields

Courses to take

• AP US History and AP World History — the discipline's foundation, taught with real sources
• AP English Language — historians are professional writers of argument
• AP European History — additional breadth and document analysis practice
• A world language (Spanish, French, German, Latin) — archives don't translate themselves
• AP Statistics — quantitative history and demography use real data

Clubs, activities & competitions

• National History Day — the premier research competition; it is literally the job in miniature
• Model UN or debate — argument from evidence
• School newspaper — research, interviews, and writing on deadline
• Local historical society volunteering — archives need student help

First steps you can take now

• Enter National History Day this year with a primary-source project
• Interview a grandparent or elder about a historical event they lived through, and record it properly
• Visit a local archive or historical society and ask to see how collections work
• Pick one historical question and trace it to two primary sources online (Library of Congress and National Archives are free)

Related videos

Historian : Careers UncoveredRoleCatcher