Degree Programs / Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Program

We are an Essential Employability Qualities Certified Program.

 

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Do you enjoy learning about people who came before you? Are your history classes some of your favorites? Perhaps you have thought, "I like history, but majoring in it is not practical." Think again.  

The University of Kentucky’s history program prepares students to shape the future by understanding the past. Historians are skilled at gathering, analyzing and interpreting information, and the discipline cultivates communication, argumentation and evidence-based reasoning essential in a rapidly changing world. 

Students learn to analyze how people across the globe have experienced change, synthesize and interpret historical data and communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively. The program fosters creativity, empathy and intercultural understanding, equipping graduates for careers resistant to automation and vital to problem-solving in the 21st-century economy. Alumni apply their training in education, government, business, the nonprofit sector and many more areas of the economy, making lasting impacts in their communities.

As a history major, you will take courses with award-winning teachers, some of the university's best. Faculty study everything from the rise and fall of the Roman Republic, to the Holocaust, to the ways race has shaped American sports, and they bring their discoveries into the classroom. Not only will you read and discuss interpretations written by the field’s greatest minds, you will also do archival research and develop interpretations of your own. History is a reading- and writing-intensive major. Working under the direction of a faculty mentor, you will complete your degree by submitting a capstone paper. 

Find out more about the Bachelor's Degree (BA/BS) here.  

While studying history can satisfy a natural curiosity and bring deep joy, we recognize that it must also translate into a job and a paycheck after you graduate. The University of Kentucky History Department has made career-readiness a priority. We offer a Careers in History class to help undergraduate students prepare for their next steps, and we invite our majors and minors to join historyFUTURE, a Canvas shell dedicated to sharing opportunities and career resources. To join historyFUTURE, please email Dr. Melanie Goan.  

What Can You Do With a History Degree?

Our graduates go on to hold positions in many sectors of the economy, including education, law, government, public policy and the nonprofit world as well as healthcare, journalism, sales and marketing. There are very few things you cannot do with a history degree. 

Table titled “History degree, 2023” comparing history majors with all degree holders. It shows 1,292,450 employed workers with a history degree versus about 63.7 million degree holders overall. Median wage is $70,000 for both groups. Sixteen percent of history majors work part time, compared with 15 percent overall. Sixty percent of history majors work in jobs requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 62 percent of all degree holders. Fifty percent of history majors have an advanced degree, compared with 38 percent overall. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

 

 

Many assume that humanities degrees are impractical, resulting in low salaries and high unemployment. Actually, the data show otherwise. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median wage for history majors is equal to that of all degree holders.

 

 

 

 

 

Graphic titled “Unemployment by College Major” showing unemployment rates by education field. Circular icons indicate 2 percent unemployment for Humanities, Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Business majors, and 6 percent unemployment for people with a high school diploma only.

Source: American Academy of Arts & Sciences with data from the American Community Survey 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (2017–2021).

 

 

 

History majors are no more likely than other college graduates to be unemployed, as chart to the right shows.

 

Our world is increasingly driven by technology and big data, and it demands individuals who can sift through large quantities of information, interpret it and persuade others to act. Employers are looking for critical thinkers who can observe, reflect, synthesize, imagine and communicate. History training helps students develop emotional intelligence and an understanding of what makes people tick, preparing them for jobs that are the least subject to automation.  A history degree offers intellectual versatility, positioning you to pivot when new opportunities emerge or when others disappear. Don’t just take our word for it. The American Historical Association provides detailed information about career options and salaries.