Academic Job Market for Historians Is More Complex Than It Appears

December 1, 2011, 2:52 pm

A new report from the American Historical Association details the complexities of the rocky academic job market for historians. Among the factors affecting the “ecology of the academic job market” are the number of new doctoral students entering history programs, the types of jobs they are trained to do, and history salaries that have fallen as the discipline has become more closely identified with humanities fields such as English and foreign languages. The report, published in the December issue of the association’s magazine, Perspectives on History, also notes that people with Ph.D.’s in history should also consider jobs outside of academe. In fact, the association’s president and executive director recently wrote two essays, in part, about why it’s important to embrace the full spectrum of careers for historians and help job seekers with nonacademic careers in mind.

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rogue_academic

The market might be shitty but what’s “complex” about it?
22260556

Good heavens! These were issues when I went on the market, after earning my PH.D. in 1970; have graduate departments (and students) learned nothing?
wilkinso

You can always be an historical consultant for Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. It worked well for Newt!
dnewton137

History is not the only academic field in which the professorial mentors of its graduate students lack knowledge and understanding of the full universe of potential careers for them. Mine (physics) is another, and I suspect that phenomenon is common in many others. The leaders of the AHA are to be commended for their wise attention to this important issue.
bigtwin

What a disappointing report. This report has no recommendations, no proposed solutions, just a vague conclusion about needing to “develop a more balanced approach…” Oh, and the market is not “fluid” – it’s dead and has been for years.

If it took the AHA this long to take notice of what’s been happening for years, I wonder how long it’ll take for them to actually make a recommendation on how to remedy the situation.
dale1

Because the only solution that makes any sense, though it kills a whole herd of sacred cows, is to simply stop admitting PhD students. That is a solution that none of the faculty want, but it’s the only real solution. Cut the PhD admissions by 90%, wait at least 10 years, and then the market will, maybe, come back into balance.