Outcomes and Placement
Trained historians learn to appreciate the complexity of the present by contending with the variety of the past. A history degree opens doors to many careers. Instead of narrow preparation for a career that may disappear, you will gain skills in research, analysis, written and oral communication and collaboration that will last a lifetime. If you are interested in teaching, you might choose to pursue educator licensure at the secondary level. You might also begin a career in public history, which can lead to positions in museums, archives, historic preservation and other areas outside of teaching. History will also prepare you for entry to law school or to postgraduate education in history itself.
The graduate history office makes job listings available to its students; the director of graduate studies monitors individual job openings to match them to those completing their degrees. The department works vigorously to place its graduates. Experience shows that students can gain a competitive edge in a tight market through intelligent selection of fields of study, a dissertation of high quality and effective use of grant support. Faculty are prepared to assist in all these areas.
NIU history graduates have an excellent record of employment and achievement. Doctoral candidates have earned prestigious fellowships and grants from:
- International Exchanges and Research Board
- Fulbright Commission
- Social Science Research Council
- Ford Foundation
- Truman Library
- CIEE Summer Russian Language Program
- Pew Program in Religion and American History at Yale University
- Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
- Bourse Chateaubriand
- Bourse Jeanne Marandon
- Newberry Library
After graduation, alumni remain active professionals, collectively publishing more than a dozen books and over a hundred scholarly articles.
One of our first Ph.D. recipients became president of the University of South Dakota and then of the University of St. Thomas (Houston). More recent graduates have held academic positions at:
- Ohio State (Newark)
- University of Iowa
- College of William and Mary
- Western Illinois University
- Cleveland State University
- Grand Valley State University
- University of Central Oklahoma
- Alverno College
- Illinois Math and Science Academy
- Creighton University
- Washington State University-Vancouver
- Columbia College
- Governors State University
- South Carolina State University
- Economic analyst for the World Bank
- Senior editor at the National Security Archive in Washington, D.C.
- Archivist of the State of Connecticut
- Historian, U.S. Department of Justice; GS12 Federal Government Historian, Norfolk, VA
At the master’s level, many graduates are secondary school teachers or have been admitted to Ph.D. programs at places like the University of Chicago, Emory, Iowa, NIU, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Texas. Several have secured positions in museums, regional archives and historical societies, including:
- Chicago Historical Society.
- New York State Archives.
- Calumet Regional Archives (Indiana).
- Mark Twain Museum (Hartford, CT).
- The Illinois and Michigan Heritage Site.
- Schingoethe Center Museum at Aurora University
Contact
Department of History
Zulauf 715
Phone: 815-753-0131
Email: history@niu.edu
Our office is open Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., except for a daily lunch break from noon-1 p.m.
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