Your Future
History students develop research and analysis skills, cultural awareness, and expertise in effective communications that employers value and that help them become active and informed citizens in global society. Employers widely recognize the career value of undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, such as History. The broad-based skills developed by humanities graduates are vital to success in a wide range of careers, including places that might not seem obvious at first, such as in high-tech companies.
History stands out among liberal arts subjects. For example, an American study found that History was the most common undergraduate degree held by Forbes 500 CEOs and History graduates feature disproportionately often on the boards of Britain’s top 100 companies.
When I was considering university coming out of high school, TMU was one of my choices, I was very conflicted in deciding between all of the options I had. I ended up choosing TMU for many reasons. I came to TMU from a relatively smaller high school so I really appreciated the sense of smaller classes which let me be more engaged with the content and be able to participate in discussions and build connections with other students and my professors. At TMU I’ve been able to develop my academic skills and get involved in school life through clubs and associations. During my time at TMU I have been the Vice President of Marketing with the History Course Union, the Vice President of Finance with the History Course Union, the Chair of the Endnote Undergraduate Historical Journal and more. My being at TMU has uniquely shaped my university experience and has allowed me to be as involved as I have been and has given me so many different opportunities that I would not have had otherwise!
Well-known History graduates include Canadian prime ministers Lester Pearson and Paul Martin, American presidents John F. Kennedy and Joe Biden, UK prime minister Gordon Brown, musicians Shakira, Lauryn Hill, Bruce Dickinson, and Neil Tennant, author Salman Rushdie, actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Amanda Peet, business leaders Anita Roddick, Martha Stewart, and Lee Iacocca – and even King Charles.
The Department of History actively supports students who want to pursue graduate studies in History or other fields, and provides regular opportunities to meet History graduates working in a wide variety of careers.
TMU History students also can access individual career counselling and customized workshops through the Faculty of Arts Career Counselling Services.