Career Development & Diversity

Training and Resources

At UC Berkeley, the History Department is committed to providing the highest caliber of training to all graduate students, those who are interested in pursuing careers both in and outside of academia. Berkeley graduates are leaders in their field in any path that they choose to pursue, and we offer key resources to support them throughout their journey.

Teaching Assistant Training

All graduate students have the built-in opportunity to receive practical training as teaching assistants during four semesters of their graduate study, at minimum. All teaching assistants enroll in a first-time teaching pedagogy course and attend our fall teaching conference and ethics course before their first in-classroom assignment. Advanced graduate students are considered for reading and composition courses and are highly involved with course design.

History Department Career Services 

Students are invited to a series of career development events in the fall and spring semesters. Workshops offered by history faculty and career center staff typically include topics like writing cover letters, grant proposals, teaching statements, networking, interviewing skills, navigating the program, and exploring various careers beyond the academy. 

Berkeley Resources

In addition to the in-house services that the department offers above, all students have access to resources provided by the University including the Career Engagement Center, career fairs, the Path to the Professoriate program for underrepresented first-year graduate students, and more. 

Employment and Alumni Network

Berkeley grad students have access to an alumni network of over 1,200 History PhD graduates working all over the country and world.

Berkeley history graduates from 2017-2021 are working in tenure-track roles at institutions including UC Berkeley, Princeton University, Columbia University, Barnard College, University of Cambridge, University of Chicago, University of Washington, University of British Columbia, McGill University, National University of Singapore, the California State University system, and more.

They are postdoctoral research fellows at institutions including UC Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, and Ohio State University.

They are lecturers and adjunct professors at institutions including UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and the California State University system.

They are teachers and administrators at K-12 schools including Menlo School, Drew School, Harker School, and New York City public schools.

They are writers, researchers, analysts, managers and leaders at a variety of organizations including the Sierra Club, PayPal, McKinsey & Co., the Congressional Research Service, the US Department of Justice, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.