how to become a historian

steps_to_take_historian

Step 1: Become a Great Reader

This may seem trivial, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that historians are in a highly competitive job market. There are a lot of people competing for a smaller number of positions. Historians need to be able to read historical documents and records from the time period in question and thoroughly comprehend their meaning, even when the historical documents are written in a form of English, or other language, that is not in current usage. Historians need to read between the lines to determine the truth of what was happening at a given period of time. Struggling readers will not be up to the rigor and demands of the reading load of a historian.

Great reading is achieved by reading widely. That actually begins in elementary school. Students at all grade levels should be reading every night, choosing from a variety of types of text to read. Historians also need to read a wide variety of historical texts on a wide variety of topics in order to formulate ideas about how people lived in the past.

Students who are struggling readers need to seek tutoring or other professional reading remediation in order to be able to read at their present grade level, synthesize information from a variety of sources, and come up with new ideas. This is exactly what a historian needs to do.

Step 2: Find a College and Secure Financial Aid

Research schools and universities that have highly-regarded history departments. Find colleges that appeal to your sense of history and the proper role of historians in society. With your SAT scores in hand, apply to the colleges that you have narrowed down to be the best fit for you.

If your parents have not saved enough money to put you through a full 4-year ride at the college of your choice, you will need to secure financial aid to cover the shortfall. This begins when you fills out the FAFSA, a federal government online form that allows students to apply for financial aid through their state, their college, and other sources of scholarships, grants, loans, and financial aid. If your state has a grant program, you will need to apply to that as well. Search for other sources of scholarships and grants to cover your shortfall in financial resources to cover all of the expenses for your first four years of college.

Step 3: Earn Your Bachelor's Degree

Option 1
Since there are fewer positions for historians in a highly competitive field, you will need to keep your grades up and graduate near the top of your class. If your university has any societies that you can join as a history major, be sure to be an active member and include it on your resumes for jobs. You want to come out of your program with impeccable historical research skills that you can explain clearly and lucidly in an interview.
Option 2
The only exception to the guidance on progressing through one's bachelor's degree is if you have your sights on becoming a history teacher in the school system. If this is the case, you must determine in advance of beginning your bachelor's degree program. In some states, you'll need to have history as a major and be simultaneously taking teaching methods coursework. Each state is different in this regard.

Step 4: Participate in Paid Work, Internships, or Volunteer Work in the Field

Since history is a highly competitive field, prospective historians in their bachelor's degree programs need to work in volunteer, intern, or paid positions that allow them to break into the field. Potential internships might be in museums, county historical societies, historical research organizations and even living history sites, such as the State of California Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma. It may be harder to obtain paid work, but internships and volunteer work in the field are plentiful.

Williams College has a great list of nationwide internship opportunities for historian candidates.

Step 5: Complete a Master's Degree Program

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), very few jobs for historians are available for those candidates with bachelor's degrees in history. One notable exception is becoming a museum technician. Otherwise, people with bachelor's degrees in history pursue careers in journalism, law, or business, if they do not go into public-school teaching. Most historians have a master's or doctorate in history as a minimum requirement for work in the field.

For those who choose to work as a historian at a museum, historical archives, or at a historical society, they'll have to search for a suitable program that matches the specialization that they would like to pursue in their career, although a general master's degree in history is also available at many institutions. Specialization master's degree programs for historian candidates include programs in museum studies, preservation of historical artifacts, management of archives, and public history. Other programs that specialize focus on particular historical places or eras.

Many graduate programs will require the student to do an internship as a part of their program. It is strongly suggested that the historian candidate pursue an internship even if their program does not have this as a requirement.

Also, the American Historical Association suggests that bachelor's graduates in history ask themselves some questions to determine the focus of their graduate program. You have to determine if each potential graduate program can offer the combination of skills and information that will mean that, at the end of your program, you'll have the skills you need in order to enter and thrive in this field. For example, some specializations of history may require you to spend time in another country learning the language to a degree of fluency.

Step 6: Complete a Doctorate Program (Optional)

Those students who choose to teach history at the college level, with the exception of junior colleges, will need a doctorate in history.

The other career path in history that requires a doctorate is historical research. Ph.D. candidates in history will specialize in an era, a field of history, or a place in the world. Internship experiences are again highly recommended at this level of education as well, due to the highly competitive nature of this field.