◆ History

What a professor of history
really does.

20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

20evidenced tasks
18,790in the US (2025)
$83,820median pay / year
7systems it runs on
See the 20 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
This is what one task looks like here
Facilitate and moderate classroom discussions
Lead tomorrow's second-year seminar on the 19th-century labour movemen…2 sources agree

The shape of the day

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The work, task by task

20 tasks
Hands on the work11
Facilitate and moderate classroom discussions+
Lead tomorrow's second-year seminar on the 19th-century labour movement, open with two 10-minute student-led readings, enforce a one-speaker rule, call on quieter students by name, note off-topic threads for a short follow-up email to Sarah in student support.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.+
Prepare the departmental meeting agenda, circulate last semester's minutes and budget summary, solicit agenda items from faculty by Tuesday, record decisions during the meeting, and file the approved minutes with college administration.
escoonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Grade papers and exams+
Grade this batch of midterm essays against the rubric: record scores and qualitative feedback, flag four students at risk for follow-up with support services, return annotated papers within one week, and upload final grades to the gradebook.
escoonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Stay updated with developments in the field+
Compile a two-page literature brief on recent scholarship in Atlantic slavery, identify five articles for the reading list, summarise implications for my seminar, and email the bibliography to colleagues by Friday.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Write work-related reports+
Draft the department annual review summarising my research outputs, undergraduate and postgraduate teaching load, outreach activities, and required equipment requests, then circulate the completed report to Department Chair Mark Ellis and Finance Officer Aisha Khan by next Tuesday.
esco
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Act as advisers to student organizations.+
Draft the guidance email and a one-page risk and supervision plan for the History Society, confirm faculty advisor responsibilities, attach the event budget and constitution, and send to student president James Patel with a request for response within five days.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.+
Compile a week-long annotated bibliography on wartime propaganda for the advanced readings list, include full citations, one-sentence annotations and stable access links, export as a printable reading packet and upload to the course page by Monday morning.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Participate in campus and community events.+
Confirm my availability and prepare a short talk outline and two handouts for Saturday's community history fair, draft the blurb for the program, arrange table materials list, and notify the public events office and volunteer steward by Thursday.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Grow the practice4
Work with people3
Watch and assess2

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
9 tasksMicrosoft Wordcreates and formats agendas, minutes, and the budget summary for official recordsOpen its task library →
5 tasksCourse management systempost follow-up notes and required reading to the class page
4 tasksCollaborative editinglive shared agenda and student notes during discussion
4 tasksMicrosoft Outlooksends the agenda, collects RSVPs, and schedules the meeting
2 tasksGoogle Docsallows drafting the brief, collecting article summaries, and sharing the bibliography with colleagues
2 tasksBlackboard Learnrecords grades, attaches individualized feedback, and transmits results to student records
1 taskMicrosoft Excelprepare and validate the detailed budget spreadsheet to include with the proposalOpen its task library →
Browse every evidenced software task →

The same task, four heights

this page is height one
ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Explain the theory behind the work
  • Draft, tidy and structure your writing
  • Rehearse a hard conversation before you have it
  • Build a study plan that fits your gaps

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Be in the room where a professor of history actually works
  • Carry the responsibility when the call is wrong — that weight stays yours
  • Notice what no one wrote down: the hesitation, the thing left unsaid
  • Live with the outcome

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $83,820 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $48,410; the top tenth near $162,160
  • 18,790 people employed in this occupation

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job12 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register10 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild6 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures

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Questions people actually ask

You usually split time between teaching, research, and admin. Mornings often mean leading a 50–200 minute seminar, grading papers and exams, or holding office hours for student advising.

Afternoons commonly include preparing lectures in a course management system like Blackboard Learn, updating slides in Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Docs, doing research in archives, and writing (reports, grant proposals, or articles). Evenings might be online course moderation and replying to student email in Microsoft Outlook.

Expect regular use of a course management system (Blackboard Learn or similar) to post readings, quizzes, and grades. Use Microsoft Word or Google Docs for syllabi, essays, and grant proposals; Microsoft Excel for gradebooks or budgeting.

You’ll also use collaborative editing tools (Google Docs or Office 365) when co-authoring papers, and Outlook for scheduling and departmental communication.

Use AI for quick tasks: summarize long articles, generate reading list ideas, or draft quiz questions, but always check facts against primary sources and your field’s standard scholarship. AI can hallucinate dates, names, or citations, so verify every factual claim before sharing with students.

For grading, don’t rely on AI to assign final grades. Use it to spot issues in writing but apply your own rubrics and professional judgment, and disclose to students when automated tools are used for feedback.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2025), 18,790 people worked as postsecondary history teachers. The median annual wage was $83,820. The lowest tenth earned $48,410 and the top tenth earned $162,160.

Salaries vary by institution type (community college vs. research university), region, and whether your position is tenure-track, adjunct, or administrative.

Most tenure-track jobs require a PhD in history; many start as a graduate teaching assistant while finishing the doctorate. Publish an article or book chapter, present at conferences, and build a CV showing teaching, research, and service.

Gain experience with Blackboard Learn or other course systems, learn to use Microsoft Word and collaborative tools, and help run a student organization or department event to show advising and service skills.

Learn to research and publish: conduct original archival or primary-source research and turn it into publishable articles. Publishing is what gets you hired, tenured, and funded through grants.

Simultaneously get comfortable with teaching tools (Blackboard Learn, Microsoft Word, Google Docs) and learn to write a clear grant proposal—those practical skills let your research reach journals and outside funders.