Career Opportunities with a Degree in… History

Your Skills and the Employment Market

Possible Career Opportunities

Sample Jobs

Further Study Opportunities

What Past Graduates Have Done

Resources in the Careers Information Room

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Your skills and the employment market

The main vocational value of studying History is that it provides good training in gathering, sorting and analysing information and ideas, and in explaining things in clear written and spoken English.  Historians display an appreciation of the complexity and diversity of situations, events and past mentalities. Historians operate by rules of evidence, a key component of intellectual integrity and maturity. 

Alongside the ability to develop and sustain historical arguments, historians employ cognate skills such as languages, computing, quantitative and qualitative methods. They also develop the transferable skills of self-discipline, self-direction, independence of mind and initiative alongside an ability to work with others.

Graduates should look for jobs that emphasise those skills, in which their strengths as a writer, researcher, and critical thinker will give them an advantage.

The skills History students acquire are fully adaptable and widely needed in today’s competitive job market.

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Possible Career Opportunities

Note: Further qualifications may be needed for certain positions. This list is a sample of positions available.

History students pursue a variety of careers and can work in education, government agencies, the legal field, businesses, newspapers and magazines, the film industry, museums, archives, libraries, and historic preservation organisations. All these careers require the skills of research, analysis, and writing for which a History degree is excellent preparation.

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Sample Jobs

Some jobs that may suit students / graduates (these jobs are NOT currently available and are shown here for illustration purposes only).

Assistant Heritage Project Co-ordinator, National Print Museum, Dublin. Required to tutor adults in history, heritage, tourism, tour guiding, local history and research. Degree in related field necessary.

Guide / Information Officer, Office of Public Works. Are you: a good communicator, proud of your heritage, interested in presenting the history of heritage sites?.

Hidden Histories Project Researcher, The Fitwilliam Museum, Cambridge University. With background in historical or art history research for the project ’Names and Faces’, to write short biographies and help develop visitor resources. Experience in historical research and ability to write for a wide ranging audience, computer literate and ability to work to deadlines.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships, University of Salford. Candidates will undertake teaching and/or admin duties in addition to researching their PhD. .

Project Assistant, British Museum. Exceptional communicator, organised, adaptable team-player, ability to meet strict deadlines, degree in classics/history/archaeology, ideally some experience translating Italian/German/Greek, good writing, proofing, editing skills. .

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Further study opportunities

For certain career choices, employers may look for candidates with further qualifications and training.  Some of the range of opportunities available in NUI Galway include:

• PhD / MLitt History
• MA in History
• MA Medieval studies
• MA Culture and Colonialism
• MA Irish Studies

For certain career choices, employers may look for candidates with further qualifications and training. 

To see the range of opportunities in NUI Galway please visit  www.nuigalway.ie/courses  

The Careers Information Room has sections on Ireland and the UK (including individual prospectuses), USA (with guides to applying, funding and lists of courses), studying in EU countries as well as further afield.

Other postgraduate links:

http://www.postgradireland.com/ also contains useful information on postgraduate courses in Ireland

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/ is an excellent site for researching opportunities in the UK

http://ec.europa.eu/ploteus covers the EU. 

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What past graduates have done

It is always interesting to know what fellow graduates have done after obtaining their degree at NUI, Galway.  This has recently been taken from First Destination Statistics.  

• Claims Customer Service Advisor & doing Certificate in Training and Development, Halifax Insurance, Clare
• Clerical Administrator with Heritage Centre focusing on History of Blasket Islands, Office of Public Works
• Genealogical research, through FAS scheme
• Graduate Trainee, Diageo, Dublin
• HDip Media Communications, Griffith College Dublin
• HDip In Education, NUIG
• MA Community Development, NUIG
• MA Léann Eireannach, NUIG
• Management Trainee, Enterprise Rent A Car, Dublin
• Masters of Music Technology, UL
• MSc History of Intern Relations, London Sch Economics
• MSc Occupational Health & Safety & Ergonomics, NUIG
• Pro Rata Part-time Teacher, Co Offaly VEC
• Revenue Officer, Revenue Commissioners, Galway
• Substitute Teacher 
  

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Resources in the Careers Information Room

 We have valuable information resources, experienced career development advisers and information staff on hand to help you with your queries.

Reference material in the Information Room includes:

• Occupational files (yellow) ’W’
• Arts General file
• Arts First Destinations
• Careers with an Arts or Humanities Degree
• Careers for History Buffs & Others who Learn from the Past
• The Museums of Ireland
• Careers in Art History
• The Which? Guide to Choosing a Career
• What can I do with an Arts Degree

Drop into our information room and we will be happy to assist you.

For useful links, see www.nuigalway.ie/careers/students/virtual or www.delicous.com/careersinfo/history .

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