Careers · Explore one path
Historians
Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.
Other titles employers use
Collections Specialist · County Historian · Historian · Historic Architectural Resources Curator · Historic Interpreter · Historic Preservation Coordinator · Historic Sites Registrar · Historical Interpreter
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
- Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
- Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
- Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.
- Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
- Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to analytical, organizing and creative work.
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Creative
- Making, designing, writing, or performing without one set answer
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Subjects to know
- History and Archeology
- English Language
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Geography
- Administrative
Useful strengths
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Near Vision
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 2.5 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 2.6 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.4 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 2.5 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a master's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A master's degree 65%
- High school or less 10%
- A four-year degree 10%
- A certificate or some college 9%
- A doctorate or professional degree 6%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Document management software
- Geographic information system
- Desktop publishing software
- Word processing software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Enterprise application integration software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 500
- Job openings each year
- 10
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 19.0%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 500 | 10 | 19.0% |
| Virginia | 260 | 20 | 4.0% |
| North Carolina | 150 | 10 | 15.4% |
| Utah | 140 | 10 | 40.0% |
| Mississippi | 130 | 10 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 120 | 10 | — |
| Florida | 110 | 10 | 10.0% |
| Oklahoma | 110 | 10 | — |
| New Jersey | 100 | 10 | — |
| Texas | 100 | 10 | 25.0% |
| Colorado | 80 | 10 | 14.3% |
| Ohio | 70 | 10 | — |
| South Carolina | 70 | 10 | 16.7% |
| Indiana | 50 | 0 | — |
| Wisconsin | 50 | 0 | — |
| Louisiana | 40 | 0 | — |
| Missouri | 40 | 0 | — |
| Washington | 40 | 10 | 33.3% |
| Idaho | 30 | 0 | — |
| Minnesota | 30 | 0 | — |
| Oregon | 30 | 0 | — |
| Delaware | 20 | 0 | — |
| Kentucky | 20 | 0 | — |
| Nebraska | 20 | 0 | — |
| Nevada | 10 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 315
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Liberty University
- Degrees each year
- 246
- Admit rate
- 99%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
University of California-Los Angeles
- Degrees each year
- 255
- Admit rate
- 9%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Harvard University
- Degrees each year
- 161
- Admit rate
- 3%
- Annual cost after aid
- $2,000
University of California-Santa Barbara
- Degrees each year
- 160
- Admit rate
- 28%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Degrees each year
- 153
- Admit rate
- 43%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
University of Central Florida
- Degrees each year
- 152
- Admit rate
- 40%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Columbia University in the City of New York
- Degrees each year
- 152
- Admit rate
- 4%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000