What do the CEO of YouTube, the plurality of members of the U.S. Supreme Court, the CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs, the CEO of Cardinal Health, and many of your favorite broadcast and print journalists have in common?
They were all history majors. Becoming a historian is one path history majors can take. What people sometimes do not realize is that the skills acquired by history majors prepare them for a variety of career possibilities.
DON’T BELIEVE US? SEE FOR YOURSELF: The Association of American Colleges & Universities 2015 study showed a strong preference among employers for job candidates who think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems — skills the history major helps you develop. Over time, humanities majors earn more on average than their classmates with degrees in other professional fields. According to a Payscale study reported in the Wall Street Journal in 2015, history majors rank in the top quartile of arts and humanities majors both in terms of starting median salaries and percentage increases in salaries by mid-career. In the same study, history majors also outperformed most social science majors on both measures. A New York Times article, “Six Myths About Choosing a College Major,” explains that “the competencies liberal arts majors emphasize — writing, synthesis, problem solving — are sought after by employers. A 2017 study by David Deming, a professor at Harvard, found jobs requiring both the so-called soft skills and thinking skills have seen the largest growth in employment and pay in the last three decades.”
Studying history at Ohio State, I was able to imagine what the future might hold based on lessons of the past. That combination is invaluable when it comes to building a business from the ground up. {Amanda Sima, 2003; Founder, Alma Mater Clothing Company}
WHAT SKILLS ARE TAUGHT IN HISTORY COURSES? Reading and analyzing information: a method of reading to acquire facts and analyze content. Effective writing: communicating ideas successfully in written form. Critical thinking: the ability to consider information in a variety of ways and across disciplines. Research: methods of finding and evaluating information.
History provides a terrific foundation of skills that will help in further education as well as the work place. The study of history helps shape you into a critical thinker who will also be able to think about current events and politics in an intelligent and thoughtful manner and with an anchor in knowledge of past events. My training has provided a solid background for being inquisitive, researching to find solutions, and always looking for context. {Megan Stevens, 2004; Director of Regional and Affinity Strategy, Alumni Office, Lehigh University}
My training in history has allowed for me to process different pieces of disparate information and understand the connections between them. It has also showed me how to dig into a question to resolve the question of why. Knowing why things are allows us to solve today’s problems. Events do not happen in a vacuum. It is about the context and connections in which they occur. {John Dittman, 2002; Director, Operations Technology and Track and Trace, Cardinal Health}
CONTINUING YOUR EDUCATION: The study of history as an undergraduate is a great way to prepare for graduate or professional school. A recent study by the Association of American Medical Colleges found that humanities majors outperformed biological science and most other majors on the MCAT and had higher-than-average matriculation rates. History is also the only major to appear in the top four for both average LSAT scores and admissions to U.S. law schools, according to The Journal of Economic Education. Learn more about your career possibilities at history.osu.edu/careers.
DISCOVER YOUR PATH: Studying history provides our majors for many possibilities after graduation. Common career paths include:
LAWYER | FOREIGN SERVICE | ANALYST | RESEARCHER POLITICIAN | LIBRARIAN | ENTREPRENEUR | ARCHIVIST WRITER/EDITOR | ENTERTAINER | TEACHER URBAN PLANNING | PEACE CORPS WORKER GOVERNMENT SERVICE | COMMUNITY RELATIONS PRESS REPRESENTATIVE | PUBLIC SERVICE FOUNDATION WORKER | PUBLICITY COORDINATOR MILITARY OFFICER | MUSEUM CURATOR
Careers take our history majors all over the world. Common employers include:
U.S. Marine Corps, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Ohio Attorney General, Barnes and Noble, JP Morgan Chase, Nationwide Insurance, The Ohio State University, U.S. Navy, Ohio House of Representatives, Limited Brands, Time Warner Cable – Spectrum, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Justice, Cardinal Health, U.S. Army, Cleveland Clinic, U.S. Air Force, Teach for America, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OhioHealth, FedEx, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Huntington National Bank, IBM, Verizon Wireless, Scotts Miracle Gro, State of Ohio Learn more: history.osu.edu/careers
Studying history gives you a framework for understanding the world. For all of the developments of the modern world and globalization, we still are heavily shaped by events of the past. Understanding the past doesn't let you predict the future; however, it does provide the insight necessary to see the possible outcomes that may develop. I wouldn't be where I am today without the education I gained in the Department of History. {Adam Arnett, 2006; Senior Analyst, U.S. Department of Defense}
The Department of History is part of the College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University. We provide a full range of academic disciplines and programs so that you are empowered to follow any path and achieve success, and we’ll support you every step of the way.
Department of History 106 Dulles Hall 230 Annie & John Glenn Avenue Columbus OH, 43210 history.osu.edu email: history@osu.edu phone: (614) 292-2674