Our students leave Bristol to pursue a wide variety of career options. Many will move on to work in a wide range of fields after completing internships or further vocational studies, which build on the excellent platform a History degree provides. Others have continued their studies at with a Master’s degree, either in History or other disciplines. 

Over the course of your degree, you will learn how to manage and analyse large amounts of information, how to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively and how to argue persuasively.  Importantly, you will learn how to work effectively both as an independent researcher and as part of a collaborative team effort. 

Careers

In recent years, Bristol students have gone on from a History degree into professional careers. A number of our students have developed successful careers in the legal profession following a law conversion course. Many others have trained to become teachers. Bristol History graduates have taken up posts in finance, marketing and the media. Others have built on the skills they have developed to go on to work as political or social researchers.  

Making a difference

Many of our students bring a determined community spirit to their time here at Bristol and have made impressive contributions to the life of the city – and beyond. In recent years, History students have volunteered for a wide range of community-based activities, including working with groups supporting refugees in Bristol and mentoring local students. Others have teamed up with members of the Department to work on local heritage and public history projects. This kind of work has fostered a real sense of social engagement in our graduates, whichever career they follow.

Whether or not you intend to pursue a career in History after you graduate, a good History degree from Bristol shows employers that you have:

• Openness to new ideas and different points of view
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Creative and critical abilities
• Capacity for hard work
• A high standard of flexible professional skills, such as:
  • being able to work independently and as part of a team
  • preparing documents to a high standard of literacy
  • being able to deliver a confident public presentation;
  • carrying a major project through to completion.

The training you receive during your History degree here at the University of Bristol will give you a strong base from which to develop your professional career, in whichever direction you choose.