Employment Outcomes

Individuals who receive PhDs from the UCLA Department of History are employed in a variety of careers, institutions, and locations. A longitudinal view of employment outcomes for PhDs earned since 2002-2003 indicates that the vast majority (over 70%) of alumni pursue and secure positions in higher education, including tenured/non-tenured faculty jobs, university-based research positions, and administrative jobs. This pattern is in line with national data collected by the American Historical Association from other History departments.

Periodic collection and analyses of alumni employment status are undertaken to provide an understanding of (1) the individual professional/post-PhD trajectories as well as (2) emerging/changing patterns of career paths and opportunities for History PhDs.  Baseline employment data is captured at graduation, then updated through reports from alumni and faculty advisors and web-based research.  The result is a snapshot accurate as of a specific time period and based on the best available information.

Below is the most recent analysis, covering the employment status of individuals who received their PhDs from the  department between 2012-2013 and 2016-2017 and reflecting information verified as of Spring 2018.  Please note that all data is retrospective and is not indicative of future departmental or individual results.

Most Recent Analysis

Status of 118 Individuals Who Received PhDs between 2012-2013 and 2016-2017 (Last 5 Years)

For the years 2012-13 through 2016-2017, 118 individuals were awarded PhDs by the department.  In Spring 2018, 91.5%  were found to be employed, while 6% could not be located in a wide-ranging search. Higher Education, Secondary Education, and Self-Employed (e.g., writers, lawyers, freelance editors/translators) are the leading employment categories across all earned PhDs for the period.

Employment Categories for 108 Individuals Who Were Employed as of Spring 2018

Among the employed only, 78 alumni hold positions in the Higher Education sector, with the largest percentage (60%) at 4-year universities in faculty (tenured/tenure track) and instructor/lecturer/post-doc (non-tenure track) positions. Another 8% hold adminstrative or research positions at 4-year institutions, while 5% are in faculty or instructor positions at 2-year (community college) institutions. Eleven alumni are employed as faculty at secondary (primarily independent) schools.  Fully 83% of the alumni are employed in the Higher Education and Secondary Education sectors.

In the category of Higher Education (tenure track/non-tenure track/other), alumni are employed in 20 different states, with California (28) and New York (8) having the largest number, and 5 countries outside the US – Canada, Germany, Korea, Qatar, and Scotland.  The 39 alumni holding tenured/tenure track positions are employed by 3 California State Universities, 2 University of California campuses, 16 state universities outside of California, 2 community colleges, 13 private colleges and universities, and 1 international branch of a US-based private university.

Alumni employed outside of Higher Education are to be found in 8 states (California the most popular with 18 alumni), the District of Columbia, and 2 countries outside the US. Among the job titles of alumni outside the education sectors are Director of Digital Scholarship Commons in a major university library, Foreign Service Officer for the US Department of State, Program Officer for a national museum, and Research Associate for an international consulting firm.

This information is as of Spring 2018.  It will be updated periodically to include additional cohorts and the most current employment data.