History graduates enter an extremely varied range of careers, with their interpretative, analytical and written communication skills being highly valued by many employers. 

Data obtained from

• History (BA)
• Graduates from the UK 

Responses were received from 108 UK graduates from 2019/20; this is a response rate of 59.7%

Destinations

Most important activity	Percentage of graduates
Paid work for an employer	58.3%
Self-employment/freelancing	1.9%
Running my own business	0%
Developing a creative, artistic or professional portfolio	0%
Voluntary/unpaid work for an employer	0.9%
Engaged in a course of study, training or research	29.6%
Taking time out to travel	1.9%
Caring for someone	0%
Retired	0%
Unemployed and looking for work	6.5%
Doing something else	0.9%

Sector information

Some graduates will enter areas directly related to their degree subject. These include historical research, information management and teaching, where there is often the opportunity to use the specific knowledge gained from studying History. Graduates are also well placed to enter areas not directly related to their degree where the knowledge and understanding of history and historical development, as well as the plethora of skills developed on this course, are of considerable interest to employers and an asset for a range of other occupations. Many careers in fact do not require a specific degree, as around 70% of jobs are open to graduates of any discipline.

Employment sector	Number of graduates
Advertising agencies	4
General public administration activities	4
General secondary education	4
Other social work activities without accommodation n.e.c.	6
Other sectors (37 sectors)	47

Employers and occupations

Examples of employers

• Amazon
• Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
• HSBC Bank plc
• British Telecom
• Walt Disney Company Ltd

Examples of occupations

• Graduate Surveyor
• Associate
• Paralegal
• Research Analyst
• Underwriting Assistant

Further study

Qualification type	Percentage of graduates
Higher degree, mainly by research (e.g. PhD, DPhil, MPhil, MRes)	2.5%
Higher degree, mainly by taught course (e.g. MA, MSc, MBA)	67.5%
Postgraduate diploma or certificate (including PGCE/PGDE)	17.5%
Professional qualification	1-%
Undergraduate degree (including integrated master’s degrees) (e.g. BA, BSc, MBChB, MEng)	0%
Other undergraduate diploma or certificate not specified above	0%
Other qualification	2.5%
Not aiming for a formal qualification	0%