Historian

A historian is someone who studies history.^[1] Historians use written sources to understand past events and societies.

Plaster cast of a double herma with portraits of Herodotus and Thucydides, two ancient Greek historians

Education

Professional historians often get a Master's degree or PhD. A Master's degree student spends most of their time in the classroom. A PhD student needs to write a long research paper known as a thesis to graduate.^[2] Classes focus on learning about history, not teaching history. However, most historians do need to teach history.^[2]

As a job

Professional historians are often professors of history and teach it at colleges and universities. They share their ideas about history by writing books and articles.

Other historians work in public history. They may work in museums or at landmarks where important historic events happened.

Related pages

• List of historians