Advertisement

Advertisement

News, Views and Careers for All of Higher Education

Healthy but Mismatched History Job Market

The overall numbers look good for historians on the job market this year, but the total figures hide the surpluses of would-be professors in some fields, shortages in others and a decrease in the percentage of new Ph.D.’s going to women.

Data released by the American Historical Association in advance of this week’s annual meeting in Washington project that 940 new history Ph.D.’s will have been awarded in 2007, a slight dip from the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of history jobs listed in Perspectives, an AHA publication, is expected to be steady at about 1,030. (While not all job openings in history at listed in Perspectives, many are and the publication provides a good sense of direction in the job market.) This means that for the first time in the past 25 years, the number of known openings exceeded the number of new Ph.D.’s for three consecutive years.

That’s obviously good news for new Ph.D.’s. But analysis of the data by Robert Townsend, the AHA’s assistant director for research and publications, shows why the graduate students traveling to Washington for job interviews at the annual meeting do not necessarily have the odds in their favor. That’s because history departments continue to produce more Ph.D.’s in some areas (American and European history) than there are jobs in those subfields, while not producing enough Ph.D.’s to match demand in some areas.

History Specializations of New Ph.D.’s and Job Openings

Specialty

Ph.D. Recipients

Jobs Advertised

American history

40.2%

26.5%

Asian history

8.2%

11.2%

European history

22.2%

19.4%

African history

2.8%

3.4%

Latin American history

5.0%

4.8%

Thematic, world or other history

21.6%

34.8%

Also notable in the new data are trends about the demographics of the new history Ph.D.’s. The proportion of new doctorates going to women fell slightly, while the percentages going to minority students in the United States and to foreign students rose.

The decline for women — to 40.9 percent from 41.6 percent — is the third decline in the last 10 years, and comes a time that a majority of Ph.D.’s in the humanities are being awarded to women. A report issued by the association in 2005 found that while women have made numerous advances in the discipline since the 1970s, recent progress has been stalled.

In recent years, increases for foreign students have been more dramatic than those for minority Americans and the former percentage is now quite close to the latter (13.5 percent vs. 14.1 percent).

Diversity in Cohorts of New Ph.D.’s Over Last 10 Years

Year of Ph.D.

% to Foreign Students

% to Minority Students

% to Women

1997

7.0%

10.9%

37.1%

1998

6.1%

12.1%

39.0%

1999

7.8%

11.6%

39.6%

2000

8.2%

12.4%

38.3%

2001

8.2%

12.9%

40.3%

2002

8.1%

12.1%

40.0%

2003

8.4%

13.2%

40.1%

2004

8.7%

13.5%

41.5%

2005

12.8%

13.3%

41.6%

2006

13.5%

14.1%

40.9%

Scott Jaschik

Got something to say?


Want it on paper? Print this page.
Know someone who’d be interested? Forward this story.
Want to stay informed? Sign up for free daily news e-mail.

Advertisement

Comments

We should remember that a lot of PhDs in Asian history are from area studies departments rather than from history departments—and as a result are often not counted in statistics regarding “History PhD’s".

An Asianist, at 7:35 am EST on January 2, 2008

Nothing like a little sensationalism

“The decline for women — to 40.9 percent from 41.6 percent — is the third decline in the last 10 years”

Yes, but the number of woman PhD’s is up significantly over the past 10 years. A better reading of the stats would be that the number of female PhD’s seems to have leveled off.

And since you mention it, is there also unevenness in the distribution of women in the field?

Jack, at 7:50 am EST on January 2, 2008

Backlog of PhDs

What would also be interesting to see is how many underemployed historians are piecing together employment as adjuncts or in other fields. I suspect that there are quite a few folks from the last several years who are still trying to find a full-time position. When you factor those people into the equation, supply is still much higher than demand.

Vanessa, at 9:15 am EST on January 2, 2008

Faculty on Food Stamps

Yes, absolutely, there’s a backlog of PhDs—one that would make a bread line from Key West to Seattle.

And that’s only part of the story: I just interviewed a guy who spent ten years as a grad employee and contingent faculty member in Tennessee, often with his family on public assistance. Now he’s “finally” on the tenure track, and he earns less than most restaurant servers and bartenders.

I have an interview with Barbara Weinstein, AHA president, coming out shortly.

Marc Bousquet, author, How the University Works, at Santa Clara University, at 11:20 am EST on January 2, 2008

on the other hand...

I imagine that the optimistic figure of over 1,000 job announcements in _Perspetives_ includes a large number of (a) temporary/visiting positions and (b) tenure-track positions at the associate or full professor rank, for which recent PhDs obviously aren’t eligible. So the ratio of tenure-track assistant professor positions to the number of recent PhD awardees would not look nearly as favorable.

Alan, at 3:00 pm EST on January 2, 2008

Avocation vs Vocation

Maybe it is time for PhD students in history and other humanities to realize that if they are looking for a PhD as a meal ticket they are on the wrong track. Study of the humanities should be seen as an avocation and any vocation that comes out of the degree as a bonus. If you don’t have a love for your subject that sustains you, disappointment may well be your lot. Of course you can always do an MBA to finish off your education if financial gain is your goal.

Grant Goodman, at 7:15 pm EST on January 2, 2008

Demand for historians

I recently applied for a position. I was asked to complete the standard data form. Interestingly, “handicapped” was not a recognized status (federal law notwithstanding) nor the opportunity to state what, if any, special accomdations might be required. Obviously data that gets reported is a reflection of power and not circumstance.

Robert Pedersen, at 5:20 am EST on January 3, 2008

Backlog? Absolutely!

Vanessa and Marc are both right about the backlog. I got my Ph.D. in medieval history (a dying field) in 2001 and am still looking for a decent tenure-track job. Some of the tenure-track jobs available do, indeed, pay very poorly (less than $40,000 per year). I have a full-time library staff job (not a librarian) and teach history part-time. There is definitely a backlog, and the article fails to mention this.

Steve, at 8:20 am EST on January 3, 2008

Another option...

I was saddened to read the statistics regarding History PhD’s, especially to hear of the “tenure” track pay. It’s sad to think that I make double what my college professors make (even without my masters) and they have far more education (and student loans) than I. If you have a passion for history and would love to inspire others to see history for the beauty it is, try teaching high school. You receive full benefits, much better pay (some districts even give a bonus for Masters and PhDs), full time status, summers off to research, and the knowledge you are inspiring young minds. It might help land a university job to have some “teaching” experience. Just a thought....

Marie, High school History teacher, Masters in History, at 10:35 pm EST on January 25, 2008

Advertisement

 Jobs Related to Healthy but Mismatched History Job Market

or search for jobs directly.

Assistant Professor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

We are seeking candidates to fill an Assistant Professor position. This individual will have a regional focus on South Asia. see job

Adjunct -Art History
Raritan Valley Community College

RVCC is committed to being a learning-centered college that works closely with the community to develop and offer new and ... see job

Modern Middle East History
American University in Cairo

About The American University in Cairo: Founded in 1919, AUC’s campus is currently located in Cairo, Egypt, but will be ... see job

Educational Associate
Western Carolina University

Working Title: Curator

Posting Information: The Mountain Heritage Center of Western Carolina ... see job

Epa
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

British History or British Imperial History since 1750. The history department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel ... see job

Assistant Professor of Journalism & Mass Communication — History
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota is a premier employer and a talent magnet attracting leading faculty and staff from around the ... see job

Assistant Professor of African History
Old Dominion University

Applicants with research specialties in transmigration, diaspora and/or trade preferred. see job

History (Adjunct) Instructor
Hillsborough Community College

Hillsborough Community College is a public, comprehensive multi-campus, state-supported community college located in the ... see job

Tenure Track Assistant Professor — U.S. West
Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University seeks a tenure-track assistant professor of U.S. West for appointment beginning August 2009. Research ... see job

Adjunct Faculty, History
Joliet Junior College

Joliet Junior College is located in the Chicagoland area. JJC offers over 100 degree and certificate programs in the arts and ... see job