Learn About History, Gain High-Demand Career Skills
History is much more than memorizing names and dates. It’s thoughtfully exploring and interpreting the complex interplay of people, political institutions, religions, cultures, economics, laws, education, commerce, events, and other forces that created the world we live in today.
By studying history, you learn how to put current local, state, national, and international events into perspective. You also learn critical skills that employers highly value no matter what profession you pursue – even if it has nothing to do with history. You learn how to:
- Think critically and analytically
- Express yourself effectively in writing
- Find, assess, and integrate information from diverse sources
- Document evidence and conclusions
- Make a case using evidence
- Discover solutions to current problems based on a historical perspective
Only a small percentage of history majors go on to become historians. Instead, they become lawyers, librarians, business people, writers, archivists, researchers, teachers, politicians, and even entertainers.
Leaders in every field, from business to the arts, can point to their training in history as the start of their path to success.
For your convenience, you can take University of Michigan-Flint history courses on campus or online. Some of the latter courses are mixed-mode, offering the flexibility of online learning with the immersive experience of hands-on learning.
Why UM-Flint?
The quality of our faculty is the most important reason to study history at UM-Flint. They’re scholars who are engaged in research, but they come to UM-Flint because they love teaching and helping students succeed. That commitment extends to mentoring students. As a history major, you have a faculty mentor with whom you can discuss selecting classes, internship opportunities, career possibilities, graduate school, and more.
Here are a few other reasons you should study history at UM-Flint:
- The Wyatt Exploration Program sponsors on-campus events such as guest lectures and extracurricular activities. Each year it also pays most travel expenses for selected history majors and minors to travel together to a foreign country.
- Flint offers a wealth of great internship opportunities at places like the Genesee Historical Collections Center at the Frances Willson Thompson Library, the Whaley Historic House Museum, the Applewood Estate, the Sloan Museum of Discovery, the Genesee County Historical Society, Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad, and the Flint Public Library, among others. Best of all, your internship counts as an elective course toward your degree and a scholarship covers your tuition for it.
- Work with UM-Flint faculty and other students at Flint’s oldest cemetery to identify, document, and restore the monuments at Old Calvary Cemetery.
- In a paid or volunteer role, develop your research skills while working side-by-side with faculty on state-of-the-art research in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program or its summer counterpart, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, which offers full- and half-time positions.
- Learn blacksmithing skills at the Forge at Factory Two, our own blacksmithing forge.
- Test your history knowledge at the annual History Quiz Night sponsored by the history program at a local tavern.
“When I was young, my dad would take me to Council Point Park where Chief Pontiac gathered the Michigan tribes for an attack against the British at Fort Detroit. These stories captured my imagination and sparked an interest in history. I chose the University of Michigan-Flint because of its reputation for excellence and commitment to its students. While having the University of Michigan name, the college is small enough where professors know you and are able to help you succeed.”
Nora Kent
History 2020
History Programs Curriculum at UM-Flint
Most students interested in history pursue the Bachelor of Arts in History curriculum. Another option is the Integrated Social Sciences with an emphasis in history, which also results in a BA degree.
Two minors are available:
Scholarships for History Majors
Each year, the UM-Flint history program awards more than $30,000 in scholarships to history majors and minors. Scholarships specifically for history students include:
- John Ellis Scholarship
- Richard Gilder Memorial Scholarship Fund
- Richard Gilder Merit Memorial Scholarship Fund
- Roy S. Hanashiro Scholarship
- Thomas Henthorn Scholarship
- Douglas Knerr Scholarship
- Christopher Molnar Scholarship
- Colonel T.B.W. Stockton Scholarship
- Kenneth B. West Scholarship
- Wyatt Incentive Scholarship
- Wyatt Internship Scholarship
- Wyatt Merit Scholarship
Our Office of Financial Aid also offers a variety of other scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities. They’re all part of our effort to make your world-class UM-Flint education affordable.
Academic Advising for History Majors
With so many educational opportunities and career paths available to our history majors, we strongly encourage you to meet regularly with two people: your faculty mentor and your academic advisor. Our academic advisors can help you choose classes, navigate program requirements, overcome personal issues, find internships and other experiential learning opportunities, explore career and graduate school options, and more.
Emily Wilson is the dedicated history advisor. You can contact her at eowilson@umich.edu or 810-762-0642 or schedule an advising appointment.
Career Opportunities in History
Your Bachelor of Arts in History degree from UM-Flint will open the door to a huge range of career options. Consider these job projections for just a few possibilities from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Archivists, Curators, and Museum Workers
- Job growth through 2031: 12 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 4,700
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $50,120
- High School Teachers (all subjects)
- Job growth through 2031: 5 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 77,900
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $61,820
- Historians
- Job growth through 2031: 4 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 300
- Typical entry-level education required: Master’s degree
- Median annual salary: $63,940
- Librarians and Library Media Specialists
- Job growth through 2031: 6 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 14,900
- Typical entry-level education required: Master’s degree
- Median annual salary: $61,190
- Writers and Authors
- Job growth through 2031: 4 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 15,200
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $69,510
More information about careers for history majors is available from the following organizations:
- American Historical Association
- National Council on Public History
- Organization of American Historians
Get Started on Your History Career Today
If you want a degree that provides a strong academic foundation and skills that open the door to a wide range of exciting career opportunities, apply to UM-Flint’s Bachelor of Arts in History program today. If you have questions, you can contact the program’s dedicated academic advisor, Emily Wilson, at eowilson@umich.edu or 810-762-0642 or schedule an advising appointment.