Why should you major in history?
Because you love history!
Majoring in a field that excites you will lead to better grades, better relationships with your peers, and more opportunities to build connections with your professors. This means that you will not only have a better college experience, but you’ll also be more prepared for success in the working world after you graduate.
This isn’t just a theory. The data on career earnings show 1) that all college graduates – no matter their major – earn far more than people without a college degree, and 2) that the best students from almost every major earn more money over their lifetime than mediocre students in fields that are more typically viewed as lucrative.
Let’s put that in perspective: the top 25 percentile of History graduates will earn about $2.8 million over their careers, which is more than the expected median earnings of graduates of majors like Business ($2.7 million), Computer Science ($2.6 million), Biology ($2.4 million), Graphic Design ($2.1 million). And it’s far more earnings than what the median individual with some college but no degree ($1.6 million) and only a high school diploma ($1.3 million) earn.
To summarize: major in a field that you enjoy studying. You’ll be more likely to finish your degree and you’ll probably make more money than you would picking a major that you don’t enjoy just because you think it will lead to more money. You’ll also probably be happier in the career that you end up in – in fact, 87% of graduates with humanities degrees reported being satisfied with their job in a recent study.
But what do History majors do?
Pretty much everything!
A Bachelor’s degree in History will give you the communication and analysis skills that most employers crave. Robert Goldstein, the CEO of BlackRock (the largest money management firm in the world) recently said that “We have more and more conviction that we need people who majored in history, in English and things that have nothing to do with finance or technology.”
Goldstein isn’t alone in this belief. Chief Executives in Fortune 500 companies regularly say that studying history provides practical training for making informed choices in almost any arena. Historians critically examine past decisions, look for patterns, analyze similar situations, and make decisions accordingly. History majors are sought out by employers in business, education, policy, and law.
Speaking of law in particular, History is one of the top pre-law disciplines. History majors across the US consistently score highest on LSAT Pre-Law national tests. In 2014-2015, History majors had the highest average LSAT score (156.35), the highest median GPA (3.42), and the highest percentage of applications accepted (85.92%) out of the 5 majors with more than 3,000 applications.
History matters, and the possibilities its study opens are limitless.
So what are UMD’s History graduates doing?
UMD’s History graduates are doing great things in many different careers! Check out our Alumni Profiles for some exciting examples.
UMD’s History Department takes career preparation for our students very seriously. In addition to providing the skills in communication, analysis, and decision-making that top employers want, we have developed programs that specifically prepare students for work in History and History-related fields.
We are the *only* University in North America that offers both a Public History major and a Museum Studies Certificate. These programs give students the theoretical knowledge and the practical experience for work at non-profit cultural heritage institutions and at corporations in the field of cultural resource management. They include traditional university classes, internships, and even the option for archaeological fieldwork.
How successful are our programs? Just take a look at UMD’s Graduate Follow-Up Report to see that our recent alumni are doing great things in public history and many other fields. Here are some positions our 2021-2023 graduates reported just one year after they finished their History degree at UMD:
Public History, Museum Studies, and Libraries
- University of Minnesota Duluth, Glensheen Mansion, Duluth, MN - Operation Coordinator
- University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Duluth, MN - Research & Learning - Archives & Special Collections
- Westside Community Schools, Omaha, NE - Library System Administrator/Cataloger
- Mead & Hunt, Bloomington, MN - Cultural Resource Specialist
- Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, MN - Ojibwe Language & Cultural Preservationist
- St. Louis County, Historical Society, Duluth, MN - Museum Assistant
- National Shrine of Our Lady of the La Leche, St. Augustine, FL - Museum Coordinator
- University of Minnesota Duluth, Glensheen Mansion, Duluth, MN - Historic House Keeper
- University of Minnesota Duluth, Glensheen Mansion, Duluth, MN - Retail Associate
- University of Minnesota Duluth, Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, MN - Lead Collections Specialist
- Itasca County Historical Society, Grand Rapids, MN - History Researcher
- My Tax Solutions, Maple Grove, MN - GIS Field Technician
- United States Army Corps of Engineers, Duluth, MN - Museum Technician & Park Ranger
Primary and Secondary Education
- Duluth Public Schools ISD 709, Lincoln Park Middle School, Duluth, MN - Computers Teacher
- Crosby-Ironton School District, Crosby, MN - Social Studies Teacher
- Monticello Public School District, Monticello Middle School, Monticello, MN - 6th Grade Social Studies Teacher
- Hmong College Prep Academy, St. Paul, MN - Social Studies Teacher
- Ogilvie Independent School District 333, Ogilvie, MN - Teacher
- Onamia Public Schools ISD 480, Onamia, MN - Teacher
Post-Secondary Education and Law
- Graduate School, Computer Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
- Graduate School, Holocaust & Genocide Studies, Kean University, Union, NJ
- Graduate School, Information & Library Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- PhD, Clinical Health Psychology, University of Colorado, Denver, Denver, CO
- Hennepin County, The Fourth Judicial District, Minneapolis, MN - Court Administration Clerk
- PhD, History, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
- Law School, University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN
- Masters, Creative Writing, Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
- Masters, History, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Masters, Theological Studies, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
- Masters, Information Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Business, Management, Public Service, and Community Work
- EN Engineering, Golden Valley, MN - Design Technician
- TakeAction Minnesota, Duluth, MN - Community Political Organizer
- Asmodee USA - Business Development Specialist
- Cornerstone Farm, Henning, MN - Task Manager
- DC Group, Minneapolis, MN - Regional Account Manager
- Duluth Whole Foods Co-op, Duluth, MN - Grocery Receiving Coordinator
- High West Distillery, Park City, UT - Hospitality Coordinator
- Shark Consulting, Minneapolis, MN - Drum Master & Product Owner
- American Eagle, Roseville, MN - Sales Team Lead
- ECMC, Minneapolis, MN - Student Loan Counselor
- United States Air Force, San Antonio, TX
- Bay Side Recycling, Duluth, MN - Account Executive
- HelpSystems, Eden Prairie, MN - Solutions Advisor
- Waste Connections, Woodlands, TX - Engagement Solutions Specialist
- 190 Coffee & Tea, Duluth, MN - Coffee Shop Manager
- Sherwin-Williams, Fairbault, MN - Assistant Store Manager
- YMCA, Camp Menogyn, Grand Marais, MN - Musher
- YMCA, Ridgedale, Minnetonka, MN - Aquatic Supervisor
Again, these are just highlights of what alumni from a few of our recent classes were doing a year out from their graduation. If you’d like to know more about what you can do with a History degree, please reach out to our Department Head or any one of our other faculty.