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Careers

Related Skills

  • Strong communication skills
  • Good analytical skills
  • Good decision making skills
  • Able to explain ideas
  • Strong research skills
  • Able to write and present ideas clearly
  • Develop patience, persistence, and drive in obtaining history related positions.

Being Successful in the Field

  • An undergraduate degree in history is good preparation for graduate study in history as well as other areas such as psychology, law, or business.
  • Research the prerequisites of the area of interest and tailor program of study to meet curricular and skill needs.
  • Part-time, summer, internship, and volunteer experiences are critical.
  • Become familiar with the government application process for opportunities in federal, state, or local government.

Related Fields

Education

  • Teaching: High School, Higher Education
  • Community Education
  • Corporate Training

Employers

  • Public and private schools
  • Colleges and universities
  • Museums
  • Zoological parks, aquariums, wildlife refuges, and bird sanctuaries
  • Arboretums, gardens, and conservatories
  • Camps
  • National and state parks

Government

Employers

  • Federal agencies including: The Smithsonian Institute, National Archives and Records, Library of Congress, National Park Service, Intelligence services, Foreign service
  • State and local agencies including: Archives and libraries, museums, parks, and historic sites, municipal archives, arts and humanities councils

Politics

Employers

  • Elected or appointed public officials (i.e., legislators, governors, mayors, judges)
  • National political party headquarters
  • Public interest/advocacy groups
  • Political campaigns
  • Lobbying firms

Law

Employers

  • Law firms
  • Corporate legal departments
  • Government agencies
  • Public advocacy groups

Business

Employers

  • Corporations: marketing, risk assessment, research, public relations

Nonprofit Organizations

Employers

  • History museums and historic sites
  • Historical associations and societies
  • Cultural heritage organizations
  • Historical projects
  • Research and service institutions

Curatorial and Archival Management

Employers

  • Museums
  • Historical homes
  • Art galleries
  • Special collections
  • Historical societies
  • Libraries
  • Universities and colleges
  • National, state, and local government
  • Corporations
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Research institutes

Journalism

Employers

  • News departments of local, public, and commercial radio and TV stations
  • Syndicated radio services
  • Newspapers
  • National, state, and regional radio networks

For more information about careers in the field of history, please visit Career Services and the American Historical Association.

Career Industry Liaison

Name Office Email Phone
Megan Ruffin  223 Bone Student Center  mhruffi@ilstu.edu  (309) 438-2200 

Internship Coordinator

Name Office Email Phone
Alan Lessoff  327 Schroeder Hall  ahlesso@ilstu.edu  (309) 438-8083