Skip to main content
School of History

Employment and further study

What can I do with a History degree?

The School of History at Queen Mary takes your career seriously.  A senior History academic is tasked with coordinating initiatives in conjunction with the university’s Careers and Enterprise Centre to ensure our graduates are equipped with the knowledge, skills and practical experiences that will help them enter a competitive job market.

A History graduate has credibility with employers because they will develop some of the key skills that are needed to be vocationally successful. These include - Critical Thinking; Information Analysis; Organisation and Communication. History graduates also naturally develop an understanding and respect for other values and cultures – key requirements for operating in a globalised world.

While a History degree provides a foundation for careers in a wide range of sectors amongst the more popular areas for students include government (local, national and international); Media; Heritage and arts sector; Law; Public relations, public affairs and business. 87% of our most recent graduates were in employment or pursuing further studies after graduation.

Example jobs our recent graduates have gone into include

  • Policy and Rewards Officer – UK Civil Service
  • Commissioning Editor – Palgrave Publishing
  • Researcher – Centre for Armed Violence Reduction
  • Communications Officer – European Banking Authority

Careers advice

The School of History maintains a close relationship with Queen Mary’s Careers service, through a dedicated Careers Consultant.

The Careers service offers a range of sessions designed to prepare you for life as a graduate. These include one-to-one advice clinics, workshops and evening events tailored to History students that will focus on, for example, interview technique, CV writing and ways to build networks.

You can also get advice and guidance on internships and work placements from the Careers service.

Employability Links

  • Prospects.ac.uk– an excellent open source site offering information and guidance on career paths
  • Careers Tagged– a very important resource, available to Queen Mary students
  • Guardian Careers– a useful overview of the careers open to History graduates

Further study

Many of our undergraduate students continue to explore their passion for study at Masters (MA) level and some then embark upon research for a PhD. We have a diverse range of MA programmes to chose from. 

 

Out of those available to do so, 95% of our undergraduates went on to further work or study according to the destination of Leavers in Higher Education survey, 2016.

Back to top