Professional historians pursue a variety of careers. Recent Ph.D. graduates of the KU History Department hold tenured or tenure-track positions at research universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges; they work in university administration; they take positions for federal, state, and local governments; they work in archives, museums, and think tanks. The changing nature of the academic job market demands that even those graduate students who wish to pursue academic employment are advised to consider non-academic career tracks. Through discussions with faculty, visitors to the campus, and discussions with fellow graduate students and colleagues from other institutions (both academic and non-academic), students become familiar with the variety of career opportunities provided by a Ph.D. in History.
In this age of declining academic opportunity, KU is especially keen to offer every professional advantage to our graduate students and alumni. Consequently, we work consistently to ensure that our students present the best possible intellectual content and professional performance. Faculty and other graduate students critique and workshop papers, article submissions, research methods, job letters, CVs, public presentations, and job talks at every step of the process, ensuring that when our graduates leave Mount Oread they are prepared to master any professional challenge.
For profiles of recent graduates of the Ph.D. program, please see https://history.ku.edu/graduate
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