University of New England

Career Opportunities

We’re often asked: “what can I do with a history degree?” 

Our response is always: “What can’t you do?” 

History prepares you for any number of careers by improving critical thinking skills, writing abilities, and the knack for seeing relationships between sometimes seemingly disparate things—a skill that separates truly creative and successful people from everybody else. 

But you do not need to take our word for it. Here’s a short list of history majors that you’re probably already familiar with:

• John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Woodrow Wilson: U. S. President
• Gordon Brown: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• Martha Stewart: Media mogul
• Annie Proulx, Ayn Rand, Barbara Cooney: Award winning author
• Lee Iococca: Former CEO of the Chrysler Corporation
• Conan O’Brien, Steve Carell, Janeane Garofalo, Sacha Baron Cohen: Comedian
• Katharine Hepburn, Julie White, Edward Norton: Actor
• George Mitchell: Former U.S. Senator; special envoy to the Middle East
• Julia Child: Chef; author; television personality
• Seymour Hersh: Pulizer prize-winning journalist
• Chelsea Clinton: Former First Daughter; hedge-fund manager
• Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy: U. S. Supreme Court Justice
• John E. Baldacci: Governor of Maine
• Wolf Blitzer, Samantha Power, Kimberly Kelleher, Charlie Rose: Journalist
• Pat Robertson: Televangelist
• Newt Gingrich: Former Speaker of the House
• Donna Dubinsky: CEO of Palm, Inc.; developed the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
• Wendy P. McCaw: Owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press
• Jimmy Buffett: Songwriter; singer; restaurant-chain owner; businessman

And the list of notable history majors goes on and on . . .

Put another way, a history degree prepares students for a wide variety of career fields.

As a student of history, you will develop excellent writing, research and analytical skills – the very skills employers demand today. Studying history trains the brain to be flexible, to think through problems, and to find answers and solutions from diverse sources. History students are detail-focused, trained to look for patterns, and to consider multiple points of view.

History prepares students for careers that focus both on the content of history (such as teaching, museums, or archives) and the skills of history (including business, law and politics). A history minor adds excellent skills to a variety of majors. 

Here’s what some of our recent majors and minors (future members of the above celebrity list!) have done with their degrees:

Emma Bouthillette ’08, Journalist
A History minor and English major, Emma combined her passion for writing with her interest in the past. While at UNE, Emma studied at the prestigious Salt Center for Documentary Studies gaining skills in journalism. Upon her UNE graduation, Emma accepted a position as journalist and her writing is found weekly in several area newspapers.

Tom Mullane  ‘05, Educator
A history major with a love of theater, Tom majored in history with secondary education certification. After graduation, Tom accepted a position teaching social studies in New York State. He earned his Master’s Degree in Adolescent Ed 7-12. He teaches a wide range of courses including Military history, Contemporary Issues, Public Speaking, English Preparation for the SAT, AP World History, Global and World History 1 and 2, and Economics and Government. He is heavily involved with his school’s theater, stage managing 100+ kids during their annual plays and musicals.

Lauren Breda ’08, Law Student
A history minor with an interest in the law, Lauren was part of the student-designed museum exhibit project. Her role in the exhibition, which focused on a 19th-century murder, was to research the law in 1850. Her excellence in both history and in her major field, English, secured Lauren admission to Franklin Pierce School of Law.

Nichia Faria ’06, Health Professional
Nichia’s interest in women’s history led her to add a history minor to her primary major. Now completing her Doctor of Chiropractic degree, Nichia has also earned a Masters of Science in Applied Clinical Nutrition

Katherine Gilbert ’06, Business
Kate combined interests in history and the sea in a history major and marine biology minor. Her senior thesis explored the cultural history of the Titanic Disaster, a project that led her to a summer position at the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri. Kate has used her excellent skills to manage a family business while considering options for post-graduate study.

Camille Smalley ’08, Museum Educator
Camille majored in English with a women’s studies minor focused on Maine women’s history. Her senior research project explored the fate of young women sent to the Hallowell School for Girls in the early 1900s- research she presented at an academic conference. As an undergrad, Camille gained career experience by working on the museum exhibit project which led to a paid internship at the Saco Museum. When a permanent position became available a few months later, Camille had both the education and the experience and the job was hers. In addition to her position as Museum Educator, Camille is a graduate student at the University of Southern Maine in American & New England Studies.

For more information on careers and history see these helpful websites:

University of New England Career Services: /studentlife/career/
American Historical Association:  http://www.historians.org/pubs/Free/careers/Index.htm