Beyond the common professions for history majors such as teaching, law, museums, and archives, history students have established careers in a variety of other areas of employment.
Our courses are designed to appeal to student interests, while providing the rigor to develop skills for the workforce or further education.
Where do our History grads go?
For a more concrete idea regarding the types of jobs you can obtain with a History degree, the following is a list of actual jobs obtained by graduates from our History Program. Students who take the Arts & Business plan with an Honours History major often obtain the jobs listed in business, such as Business Analyst.
Historians as Researchers
- Director of Research, Cushman & Wakefield, Waterloo Region Ltd., Brokerage
- Development and Research Officer, Canadian Association of Retired Persons
- Prospect Research, University of Waterloo
- Curator, City of Hamilton
- Archivist, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
- Library Associate/Archivist, University of Guelph
Historians as Analysts
- Senior Advisor, Sector Competitiveness, Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation
- Director, Policy Advisor, and Interim Manager, Christian Farmers’ Federation of Ontario
- Management Consultant, Ernst and Young LLP
- Development Co-ordinator, Canadian Opera Company
- Business Analyst, Book4Time Inc.
- Underwriting, Royal and Sun Alliance
- Financial Analyst, Sears Canada
Historians as Communicators
- Human Resources Manager, TD Bank
- Human Resources, Bank of America Corp.
- Trainer, D2L Inc.
- Technical Writer, Product Information Development, BlackBerry
- Customer Service, CIBC
- Marketing and Communications Lead, Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce
- Human Resources, Teleflex Control Systems
- Public Relations Specialist, BlackBerry
- Director, Student Life, University of Manitoba
- Instructional Support Co-ordinator, University of Waterloo
- Human Resources Officer, Town of Cobourg
- Decision Support Consultant, Grand River Hospital
- Co-ordinator, Donor and Member Relations, Toronto International Film Festival
- Co-ordinator for National Alliances, SunLife
Historians as Information Managers
- Maintenance Co-ordinator, Saputo
- National Account Manager, ASUS Computer International
- Membership Manager, Directors’ Guild of Canada
- Executive Assistant, Township of Woolwich
- Office Manager/Executive Assistant, Bionym Inc.
- Financial Officer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- Manager, Professional Skills and Post-Doctoral Affairs, University of Waterloo
Historians as Educators
- Elementary School Teachers
- Secondary School Teachers
Historians as Advocates
- Vocational Counsellor, Operation Springboard
- Assistance Co-ordinator, L’Arche Canada
- Lawyers (with further education in Law)
- Program Staff, Hopespring Cancer Support
Historians in Business
(note: The majority of students who obtained these jobs in business graduated through the Arts & Business plan with an Honours History major , rather than an Honours History major alone)
- Sales Co-ordinator, Accolade Promotions Group
- President and CEO, Kerr Financial
- Sales Co-ordinator, Tennis Canada
- Sourcing Manager, TD Canada Trust
- Financial Advisor, Scotiabank
- Owner, Grant Galleries
- Regional Sales Manager, Pepsico Beverages
- Account Development Manager, EBSCO
- Sales Manager, Mars Snack Food
- Business Analyst, Social Security Tribunal of Canada
- Operations Manager, Great Canadian Gaming Corp.
- Product Manager, BlackBerry
- Corporate Account Manager, CDW Canada
- Senior Investment Consultant, State Street Canada
- Insurance Adjustor, Gore Mutual
- Supervising Agent, American Income Life Insurance
For more real-world examples, see our Alumni page where graduates from the History program share their stories about the career path they took after graduation.
Historians in Canada
Learn about a variety of careers obtained by historians throghout Canada. Visit the Canadian Historical Association's website to read profiles of History graduates all across Canada, including Waterloo graduates.
Hear from our grads
"My professors instilled in me an intellectual curiosity, which is invaluable. Lawyers must always question the law - why does it exist, what purpose does it serve, what is its actual impact, does it achieve the desired result, and is it still relevant? Everything I needed to build my legal career I learned from my professors at UW.” – Sheau Lih Vong, BA '13, Barrister & Solicitor
"My training in history has...taught me about both how we construct historical narratives and how those narratives affect national, regional and personal identities. These constructions of history affect how people perceive the world around them; as a historian, I have an obligation to present these stories in an ethical manner. How we understand our history matters on a national and global scale.” – Rachel Wyatt, BA '15, Heritage Interpreter
"My History degree provided me with concrete historical knowledge, but also taught me research and writing skills. I wouldn’t be able to be an Executive Director at a think tank without the training in research provided by my degree. But the value of historical knowledge extends far beyond the professional realm.” – Michael Nicin, BA '04, Executive Director, National Institute on Ageing, Ryerson University