Making Money from History


A classical studies degree immerses the student in history, culture and language. The amount of knowledge, the curator skills and the linguistic ability make holders of this degree highly desirable in many markets. Sometimes the student of the classics wants to enter a field that deals specifically with the classics. While the job market is no where near slim, it can be difficult to direct a career path. These are a few of the careers available with a classical studies degree.

Archaeologist

Indiana Jones could well have held a classical studies degree being an archaeologist. It is not necessary to travel the world or get into much danger to work in this field. Archaeologists can work as lecturers, can study artifacts already found, hunt for new artifacts and even scour the earth for unknown ancient civilizations. Understanding and interpreting cultures is a huge part of classical studies. It is a skill set used in gaining an understanding of ancient civilizations through archaeology. The median salary for this career group is about $45,000.

Curator

Curators are the guardians of history. Along with knowing how to preserve historical artifacts under their protection, they often learn the history of the items to be explained to others. When the importance of an object is expressed people are more willing to do more to protect it. The oratory skills and classical knowledge from the classical studies degree enhance the position of the artifacts and the curator. The median salary for this career is about $42,000 for a museum and about $70,000 for an art gallery.

Historian

A historian uses and builds upon the knowledge gained from a classical studies degree to benefit a specific area of history. This can be the history of a place, an era or a group of people. Historians work in a variety of fields, using their knowledge to teach others and fact check where necessary. Historians work can be in museums, historical monuments and even film because accuracy is necessary when dealing with historical facts and figures. The median salary for this career set is around $55,000 and can be up to $70,000 depending on location in the United States.