Career options for History at Murdoch University

Our Degrees are changing.

In 2014, Part I (first year) units will be introduced with Part II (second year and higher) units becoming available in subsequent years. Detailed information about Part II will be available here from mid-2014.

Find out more about our new degrees, or to get in touch and ask us what this means for you head to AskMurdoch. Continuing students can still access information for degrees commencing 2013 and prior in the Course Handbook.

Career options

State premiers Bob Carr and Geoff Gallop; novelists Salman Rushdie and Arthur Golden; actor Edward Norton and entertainer Sasha Baron Cohen; presidential advisor Arthur Schlesinger and prime-ministerial-speech writer Don Watson; Royal biographer Andrew Morton; Gerald Corbett the CEO of Woolworths. What do these people have in common? They all completed university degrees in History!

Many History graduates go on to teach in schools and universities or work in museums, but the possible career paths are much more varied than you might imagine. These include:

  • Executive and research positions in government and industry
  • Print media, radio and television
  • Publishing and freelance editing
  • Records management
  • Heritage research and assessment
  • Genealogical services
  • Native Title research

Today's world requires people with well-developed generic skills, critical minds and the ability to make decisions logically and creatively. History provides invaluable training for civic life and the business world. From studying History you will learn:

  • Written and oral communication skills
  • Digesting large amounts of information
  • Analytical skills
  • Evaluating evidence
  • Thinking critically and creatively
  • Independent learning practices