Employability

Employability

For most students, a degree in history is not a vocational degree; only a few will go on to be professional historians, archivists or teachers of history.  Nevertheless, a degree in history teaches essential skills and knowledge useful to employers in a wide variety of fields.  The Department of History recognises the importance of preparing students for working life by developing 'transferable skills'--intellectual skills that graduates can take to the workplace. 

Transferable skills that you will learn in a history degree include:

  • How to read critically and think independently
  • How to analyse complex situations
  • How to construct a logical, well-supported argument
  • How to communicate your ideas in writing
  • How to make an effective oral presentation
  • How to organise your time to complete long and short term assignments

These skills will be developed through courses that ask you to deliver:

  • Oral presentations and arguments in seminars
  • Essays based on independent research
  • Essays written under time pressure in exams

For more on the university's approach to employability, see: http://www.gla.ac.uk/employability/