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Department of History College of Arts and Sciences

History at UAB

UAB is one of the best places in the nation to study history. We have a world-class faculty with diverse teaching and research interests spanning the globe, from ancient history to the contemporary era. Our location in the state’s largest city allows students to do internships at museums and historical sites. Birmingham is a perfect place to study urban and public history (two of our strengths!), the history of race and civil rights, nation-building and nationalism, documentary filmmaking, and the histories of technology, medicine, and health.

UndergraduateGraduateCareersPublications

INTERNSHIPS: Earn Credit Hours, Make Contacts, Get Involved

Internships can help you in your future career and are readily available for students with a 3.0 GPA. Our students have interned at:

  • Sloss Furnaces National Historic Park
  • Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
  • Southern Museum of Flight
  • Birmingham Public Library Archives
  • Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform
  • and more!

First, talk to the Director of Undergraduate Programs about your goals. Talk to your teachers too. If you want to go on to graduate studies, History faculty will help you identify appropriate programs, prepare applications, and make valuable professional contacts.

We encourage you to take advantage of opportunities to submit research papers for presentation or publication, attend career forums, join the Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society, and attend lectures and forums with notable scholars.

We also encourage students to enroll in a study away course. Why? Because employers want to hire people with broad or international experience, and graduate schools consider it when reviewing applications. Our faculty members have led trips to Japan, Peru, and the southeastern coast of the United States (on historic preservation trips) from St. Augustine to Charleston. All students are welcome and scholarships may be available.

Career Resources

There are many resources available to help you start or advance your career. Learn about them on our Career Resources page.

There are many resources available to help you start or advance your career.

The Career Center YouTube playlist shares advice and tips for finding jobs and surviving interviews.

The University's Career Center is a great place to get started. The center provides information on employment opportunities, assists with job skill development including interviewing and resume writing, sponsors jobs fairs, and much more!

There are plenty of other websites that can help you with your career search. Start with one of these:

You can research your job prospects through the Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook. Revised every two years, it describes working conditions, training and education needed, and expected earnings and job prospects.

There are many careers you can follow with a history degree. We talked to some of our students and graduates about what paths they took.

Cyber Security

Nonprofits

Teaching

Graduate School

What can you do with a history degree? It's an important question. The skills you learn when studying history include analysis, writing, rhetoric and presentation, and research. Studying history helps you understand context and recognize trends. These skills build a foundation for careers in academia, law, medicine, business, historic preservation, archives and museums, library science, and many other fields.

Top 5 Fields of Work

18% Education Education, Training, & Library Sciences

15% Management Business, Sciences, & the Arts

11% Legal

10% Sales

10% Administration


Fields less than 5%

Business Operations

Protective Services

Information and Communications Technology

Life, Physical, and Social Science

Financial Services

Community and Social Services

Transportation

Healthcare

Manufacturing

Food Preparation

Construction

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media

Personal Care and Service


Careers in History

Below you'll find some of the many careers you can pursue with a degree in History.

  • Archives and Museums
    • Acquisition
    • Preservation
    • Arrangement
    • Cataloguing/Categorizing
    • Exhibition/Installation
    • Authentication
    • Record Maintenance
    • Research
    • Education
  • Business
    • Sales
    • Management
    • Office Administration
    • Human Resources
    • Training and Development
    • Public Relations
    • Writing/Editing
  • Communications
    • Editing
    • Reporting
    • Circulation
    • Sales
    • Publishing
    • Electronic Media
    • Public Relations
    • News Programming
  • Education (Primary, Secondary, and Higher)
    • Teaching
    • Administration
    • Information/Library Services
    • Research
    • Student Support Services
    • Admissions
    • Financial Aid
    • Advising
    • Development
    • Student Affairs
    • Alumni Affairs
  • Law
    • Criminal Prosecution or Defense
    • Contractual
    • Corporate
    • Nonprofit or Public Interest
    • Government
    • Mediation
  • Local, State, and Federal Government
    • Politics
    • Foreign Service
    • Public Policy
    • Research
    • Planning/Management
    • Legislative, Executive, or Judicial Services
    • Program Administration
    • Community Affairs
    • Social Services
    • Law Enforcement
  • Nonprofits
    • Administration
    • Management
    • Public Relations
    • Program Coordination
    • Fund Raising/Development
    • Grant Writing
    • Writing/Editing
    • Volunteer Coordination
    • Community Education
  1. Graduate Careers