History Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses in human history and historiography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

From people doing the work

You prepare lectures, lead seminars, and grade papers across a semester that moves faster than it looks from the outside. Research and writing for publication runs alongside teaching, often in the evenings and summers. Office hours, committee work, and advising students fill the remaining hours. The classroom discussions are the part most people find worthwhile; the grading is the part that takes the most time.

Drawn from American Historical Association, H-Net, The Journal of American History, r/AskHistorians, Organization of American Historians

Attribution: Composite

Composite · Synthesised from American Historical Association, H-Net, The Journal of American History, r/AskHistorians, Organization of American Historians

A day in the life of History Teachers, Postsecondary

People interaction
Extensive
Team vs solo
60% Team / 40% Solo
Client facing
Sometimes
Impact visibility
Moderate
Travel
Minimal
Schedule flexibility
Flexible
Remote work
On-site Only
Typical work hours
40-50
Stress level
Moderate

History Teachers, Postsecondary salary, education and outlook at a glance

Median salary
$81,500
Entry-level
$49,000
Senior
$147,000
Growth by 2033
-0.2%
Demand
Stable
Freelance potential
Moderate
Salary growth potential
200%
Typical student debt
Very High

Skills you need as History Teachers, Postsecondary

Hard skills

  • History and Archeology
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Web platform development software

Soft skills

  • Learning Strategies
  • Instructing
  • Speaking

Technical complexity: Low

Tools of the trade

Core tools

  • Canvas/Blackboard (LMS) (Software): To deliver course content, manage assignments, and facilitate student communication.
  • JSTOR/Project MUSE (Service): To access scholarly articles, journals, and primary sources for research and teaching.
  • Microsoft PowerPoint/Google Slides (Software): To create and deliver engaging lectures and visual aids for classroom instruction.

Commonly used

  • Zotero/EndNote (Software): To organize research materials and generate bibliographies in various academic styles.
  • Zoom/Google Meet (Software): To conduct online classes, hold virtual office hours, and facilitate remote collaboration.

Specialist tools

  • Library of Congress Digital Collections (Platform): To access digitized historical documents, images, and recordings for teaching and research.

How to become History Teachers, Postsecondary

Minimum education
Doctoral Degree
Licensing
Yes
Years to mid-career
5-8
Years to senior
15-25
Career switching
Moderate

Where this career leads

How people arrive here

  • High School History Teacher: Transitioning from secondary education to postsecondary involves a shift in teaching methodology and research focus.
  • Archivist: Archivists possess deep knowledge of historical documents and research methods, which are valuable in academic history.
  • Museum Curator: Curators often have advanced degrees in history and experience in historical interpretation and public engagement.
  • Librarian: Librarians, especially those in academic settings, have expertise in research resources and information literacy, beneficial for history instruction.

Where you can go from here

  • University Professor (Other Humanities): History teachers can leverage their pedagogical skills and research experience to teach in related humanities fields.
  • Academic Dean: With administrative experience and leadership skills, history teachers can advance to academic leadership roles.
  • Educational Consultant: Expertise in curriculum development and teaching strategies can be applied to consulting roles in education.
  • Historical Researcher/Author: A strong background in historical research and writing can lead to careers focused on producing historical content.
  • Public Historian: History teachers can apply their knowledge to engage with the public through museums, historical societies, or government agencies.

Typical progression

  1. Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
  2. History Teachers, Postsecondary
  3. or Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary

History Teachers, Postsecondary job outlook and future demand

Automation probability
Low
AI disruption risk
Moderate
Demand trend
Stable

Job satisfaction as History Teachers, Postsecondary

Overall satisfaction
7.2/10
Meaning
8.5/10
Work-life balance
7.5/10
Prestige
7.5/10
Social perception
High

Where practitioners gather

Professional organisations

Podcasts and media

Reddit communities

  • r/AskHistorians: A subreddit where professional historians answer questions about history.

Online communities

  • H-Net: An international interdisciplinary organization of scholars and teachers that creates and coordinates Internet networks with the common goal of advancing teaching and research in the humanities and social sciences.

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