Science
Historians
Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.
Median salary
$74,050
Typical range
$39k – $129k
Job outlook
+2% (about average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Historians
Education
Typical entry: Master's degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Historians Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Historians
Entry / Junior
$38,630
~2 yrs to advance
Historians
Established
$74,050
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Historians
Senior
$101,275
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
- •Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
- •Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
- •Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.
- •Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Science
Explore all- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- California Institute of Technology3% admit · $112,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- Stanford University4% admit · $122,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.