Historian

Explore This Path

Uncover stories of the past through diverse historical sources and artifacts.
Shape our understanding of history by analyzing and interpreting past events.
Discover unique insights from diaries, letters, and rare manuscripts.

💰 Earn $75K-$109K

📚 Master Degree

⏱️ 48 MONTH TRAINING

📈 5.7% JOB GROWTH

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What You’ll Do

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and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives.
Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.

Scoop

Minimum Education

Master Degree

Career Prospects

Excellent (Increasing by 5% or more)

Training Time

Over 4 years

Job Openings

300 Annually

Median Earnings

$87,210 in California

$72,890 Nationally

$25K

$50K

$75K

$100K

$125K

$150K

$175K

$200K

$225K

$250K

Real Talk Reel

Want to see what it's like to be a Historian? We've curated a playlist for you to get a glimpse into a day in the life.

@historyonholiday

Best For You If...

YOU Like 💕

Thinking and problem solving

You are skilled in 💫

Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Monitoring
Reading Comprehension
Science
Writing

You value 🙏

Accomplishing things
Having freedom
Receiving recognition

Deep Dive

Historian

Explore career pathways, key skills, and what each role has to offer.

Pathways to this Career

Learn about the education and training paths that can lead to this career — and what to expect from each one.

Bachelor's Degree

A bachelor's degree typically results in increased knowledge about a variety of academic subjects, specialized knowledge in a focused field of study, and is considered the foundational qualification for many careers.

🎓 College

⏱️ FINISH IN 4-5+ years

Associate's Degree

An associate's degree typically provides graduates with foundational knowledge and skills for entry-level jobs in the graduate's industry, or serves as a stepping stone towards further education.

🎓 College

⏱️ FINISH IN 2-3 years