Historian Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Historian roles at U.S. universities, museums, and federal agencies regularly qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations. Most positions require a master's or doctorate, and employers in the public sector often sponsor through cap-exempt pathways that bypass the annual lottery. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
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WSP is currently initiating a search for a Part Time Project Architectural Historian for our Washington, DC, Richmond, Virginia, or Baltimore, Maryland offices. Other office locations in the Mid-Atlantic and Central Appalachian states will be considered. Be involved in projects with our Heritage & Cultural Resources, Earth & Environment Team and be a part of a growing organization that meets our clients’ objectives and solves their challenges.
Projects include a wide range of federal, state, and commercial clients with many new opportunities and interesting project locations. WSP Project Architectural Historians are survey field leaders, detailed researchers, and authors of technical reports. This position is a part-time, salaried position with benefits and opportunities to advance. Salary is commensurate with education and experience.
Your Impact
Maintain quality control standards and procedures for accurate and precise reporting, evaluation, and documentation.
Assist with performing basic professional architectural history work relating to cultural resource management, assisting in research, report writing, and documentation of historic above-ground resources.
Comply with safety guidelines and site-specific procedures during resource surveys.
Utilize National Park Service (NPS) and Secretary of the Interior’s guidance in evaluating the historic significance of above-ground resources and in determining effects of a project upon historic resources.
Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
BA required, with coursework in Historic Architecture, Historic Preservation, History, or related field.
3 to 5 years of relevant post-education experience working as an historian, architectural historian, or similar role.
Meet the Secretary of the Interior Standards (36 CFR 61) in Historic Preservation and/or History.
A thorough understanding of architectural resource significance recommendations and justifications.
Good organizational skills and familiarity with standard office computer applications.
Skills directly associated with standard above-ground historic architectural and cultural historic surveys, including familiarity with historic American architectural forms, styles and details, archival research, standard documentation of field investigations, preparation of architectural reports including resource descriptions, maintenance and treatment plans, historic context, and significance assessments under National Register criteria.
Ability to address project research questions through a synthesis of data from the field, analysis of archival research, and incorporation of relevant published research.
Possess a valid driver’s license and pass a background check.
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s Degree (MA/MHP) or graduate level certificate is preferred.
Two years of demonstrable experience in Cultural Resource Management is preferred.
Experience performing surveys and reporting with State Historic Preservation Offices in Virginia, Maryland, and surrounding states.
Experience with ESRI GIS software packages including Fieldmaps and ArcGIS online.
A technical skill or specialty such as, but not limited to, American architecture, historic bridges, cultural landscapes, cemetery investigations, archival research, preservation planning, HABS/HAER/HALS recordation, National Register nominations, etc.
WSP Benefits:
WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.
Compensation:
Expected Salary (all locations, based on 24/hr per week): $26K - $44.5K
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
LI-GD1
About WSP
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.
WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.
At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.
This Opportunity
WSP is currently initiating a search for a Part Time Project Architectural Historian for our Washington, DC, Richmond, Virginia, or Baltimore, Maryland offices. Other office locations in the Mid-Atlantic and Central Appalachian states will be considered. Be involved in projects with our Heritage & Cultural Resources, Earth & Environment Team and be a part of a growing organization that meets our clients’ objectives and solves their challenges.
Projects include a wide range of federal, state, and commercial clients with many new opportunities and interesting project locations. WSP Project Architectural Historians are survey field leaders, detailed researchers, and authors of technical reports. This position is a part-time, salaried position with benefits and opportunities to advance. Salary is commensurate with education and experience.
Your Impact
Maintain quality control standards and procedures for accurate and precise reporting, evaluation, and documentation.
Assist with performing basic professional architectural history work relating to cultural resource management, assisting in research, report writing, and documentation of historic above-ground resources.
Comply with safety guidelines and site-specific procedures during resource surveys.
Utilize National Park Service (NPS) and Secretary of the Interior’s guidance in evaluating the historic significance of above-ground resources and in determining effects of a project upon historic resources.
Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
BA required, with coursework in Historic Architecture, Historic Preservation, History, or related field.
3 to 5 years of relevant post-education experience working as an historian, architectural historian, or similar role.
Meet the Secretary of the Interior Standards (36 CFR 61) in Historic Preservation and/or History.
A thorough understanding of architectural resource significance recommendations and justifications.
Good organizational skills and familiarity with standard office computer applications.
Skills directly associated with standard above-ground historic architectural and cultural historic surveys, including familiarity with historic American architectural forms, styles and details, archival research, standard documentation of field investigations, preparation of architectural reports including resource descriptions, maintenance and treatment plans, historic context, and significance assessments under National Register criteria.
Ability to address project research questions through a synthesis of data from the field, analysis of archival research, and incorporation of relevant published research.
Possess a valid driver’s license and pass a background check.
Preferred Qualifications
Master’s Degree (MA/MHP) or graduate level certificate is preferred.
Two years of demonstrable experience in Cultural Resource Management is preferred.
Experience performing surveys and reporting with State Historic Preservation Offices in Virginia, Maryland, and surrounding states.
Experience with ESRI GIS software packages including Fieldmaps and ArcGIS online.
A technical skill or specialty such as, but not limited to, American architecture, historic bridges, cultural landscapes, cemetery investigations, archival research, preservation planning, HABS/HAER/HALS recordation, National Register nominations, etc.
WSP Benefits:
WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.
Compensation:
Expected Salary (all locations, based on 24/hr per week): $26K - $44.5K
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
LI-GD1
About WSP
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.
WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.
At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.
See all Historian Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Historian Jobs
Frame your credentials around specialty occupation
USCIS evaluates whether the position theoretically requires a degree in a specific field, not just history broadly. Tailor your CV to show the direct connection between your graduate specialization and the exact research or curatorial duties in the job description.
Target cap-exempt institutions first
Universities, Smithsonian-affiliated museums, and federal agencies like the National Archives are cap-exempt H-1B sponsors. Pursuing these employers means your petition can be filed any time of year without entering the April lottery.
Verify the prevailing wage tier before negotiations
Look up the SOC code 19-3093 (Historians) in the OFLC Wage Search before your offer conversation. Knowing whether the role is classified at Level I or II tells you what the employer must certify on the Labor Condition Application.
Use Migrate Mate to file once you have an offer
After your employer signs off on the job details, submit your H-1B paperwork through Migrate Mate. The platform handles LCA filing and petition preparation for a flat fee, cutting out the multi-thousand-dollar attorney cost most academic hires assume is unavoidable.
Confirm the employer's willingness to file PERM early
Historian roles at private employers that want to sponsor a green card must complete PERM labor certification. Ask during the offer stage whether the employer has done this before and who covers legal fees, since PERM timelines now run 18 to 24 months at DOL.
Request your I-94 departure record immediately after entry
Your authorized stay as a Historian on H-1B is controlled by your I-94, not your visa stamp. Check your electronic I-94 record through CBP within a week of arrival to confirm the admitted-until date matches your approved petition end date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Historian role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes, when the position requires at least a bachelor's degree in history, public history, archival studies, or a closely related field. USCIS looks at whether the degree requirement is both theoretical and specific to the role. Positions that accept any degree or substitute extensive experience without a degree floor are at risk of an RFE on specialty occupation grounds.
Which employers actually sponsor H-1B visas for Historians?
Federal agencies, national museums, research universities, and some state historical societies sponsor Historians most consistently. These institutions are often cap-exempt, meaning they can file H-1B petitions year-round. Private consulting firms that do cultural resource management and environmental review also hire Historians on H-1B, though they are cap-subject and must enter the April lottery. Browse Migrate Mate to filter Historian openings by sponsor type.
Do Historian roles need a PhD, or is a master's degree enough?
A master's degree satisfies the H-1B specialty occupation threshold for most curatorial, research, and archival Historian positions. A PhD is typically required only for tenure-track faculty roles or senior federal positions at GS-12 and above. The O*NET occupation profile for Historians lists a master's as the typical entry-level education, which USCIS weighs in specialty occupation determinations.
Can a Historian on OPT or STEM OPT get H-1B sponsorship?
Historians with a degree in history or related humanities fields are not eligible for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, since history is not on the DHS STEM designated degree list. Standard 12-month OPT applies. You'd need your employer to file an H-1B petition during the April registration window, and cap-gap rules would protect your authorization through September 30 if selected.
How long does H-1B sponsorship take for a Historian at a university?
For cap-exempt university employers, USCIS typically adjudicates standard H-1B petitions in three to five months from filing. Premium processing cuts that to 15 business days. Most universities will not pay for premium processing unless there is a hard start date. Your department administrator and the campus international office usually coordinate the petition timeline, so loop them in as soon as the offer is verbal.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Historian jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.