History Career Pathways

Career Prospects

Wondering what you can do with a History degree? The answer is broader than you might expect. History career pathways are shaped by your concentration — Social Sciences or Humanities — your interests and the kind of impact you want to make. Our graduates work in law, education, public history, government, archives, museums, media, consulting and beyond.

What comes next depends on where your curiosity about human experience leads. Explore the career directions our graduates have pursued and see where your own path might take you.

Law and Legal Careers

History is one of the most effective pre-law majors, developing the close reading, argumentation and written reasoning skills that law school and legal practice demand. Historical analysis and legal reasoning share the same core methods: both require assembling evidence, constructing arguments and understanding how context shapes meaning. Legal occupations as a group generate approximately 83,800 openings per year, with a median annual wage of $99,990 — more than double the national median. The UofL 3+3 program lets qualified history students begin law school during their senior year.

Common career pathways include:

• Lawyer or Attorney (civil rights, corporate, public interest, criminal, government)*
• Public Defender or Prosecutor*
• Legal Analyst or Law Clerk
• Policy Analyst or Legislative Aide
• Paralegal or Legal Assistant
• Contract Analyst or Compliance Specialist
• Civil Liberties Advocate*

Law school (JD) is required for all attorney roles. History is among the most common pre-law undergraduate majors, and history majors consistently perform well on the LSAT.

Education and Academia

Teaching is one of the most direct and lasting career pathways for history graduates, from high school classrooms to university lecture halls. Postsecondary teachers are projected to grow 7% through 2034, much faster than average, generating approximately 114,000 openings per year. Secondary school history and social studies teaching provides a direct pathway at the bachelor's level, while graduate study opens doors to university faculty and research careers.

Common career pathways include:

• High School History or Social Studies Teacher*
• Community College Instructor*
• University History Professor*
• Curriculum Developer or Instructional Designer
• Educational Program Manager
• Academic Advisor or Admissions Counselor
• Teaching Assistant or Graduate Research Fellow*

Secondary teaching requires state licensure and education coursework. College and university faculty positions typically require a PhD in history or a closely related field.

Public History, Museums, and Archives

Public history is the practice of applying historical knowledge outside academic settings — in museums, archives, historic sites, government agencies, documentary film and community organizations. This is a growing and distinct career cluster for history graduates, and one where the UofL department's Louisville connections provide real fieldwork and internship opportunities. Archivists, curators and museum workers are projected to grow 6% through 2034, generating approximately 4,800 openings per year.

Common career pathways include:

• Museum Curator or Museum Educator
• Archivist or Records Manager
• Historic Preservation Specialist
• National Park or Historic Site Interpreter
• Museum Technician or Collections Manager
• Documentary Researcher or Film Researcher
• Digital Humanities Specialist

Many curatorial and archivist positions at larger institutions prefer or require a master's degree in public history, museum studies, library science or archival studies. Entry-level technician and assistant roles are available at the bachelor's level.

Government and Public Service

History graduates enter federal, state and local government in roles that draw directly on research, policy analysis, writing and the capacity to understand institutional context. The National Archives, Library of Congress, State Department, CIA, military branches, USAID and countless state and local agencies hire historians and history-trained generalists for a wide range of roles.

Common career pathways include:

• Policy Analyst or Research Analyst
• Intelligence Analyst or Foreign Service Officer*
• Federal Agency Historian or Archivist (National Archives, Library of Congress)
• Legislative Aide or Government Affairs Specialist
• Urban Planner or Community Development Analyst
• Government Communications Specialist
• Nonprofit Program Manager or Policy Director

Foreign Service Officer positions require passing the Foreign Service Exam. Intelligence analyst roles typically require security clearance.

Media, Journalism, and Communications

History's emphasis on research, source evaluation and narrative construction makes it strong preparation for journalism, documentary production and communications. The discipline cultivates exactly the skills that editors and media organizations look for: the ability to find a story in a mass of sources, understand context and write clearly under pressure.

Common career pathways include:

• Reporter, Investigative Journalist, or Digital Journalist
• Documentary Filmmaker or Researcher
• Podcast Producer or Audio Storyteller
• Communications Manager or Public Affairs Specialist
• Content Strategist or Editorial Manager
• Book Editor or Acquisitions Editor
• Museum Communications or Development Writer

Business, Consulting, and the Private Sector

History graduates enter business and consulting careers through the same pathway as other humanities majors — by demonstrating strong analytical, writing and research skills that translate across industries. Management analysts and consultants draw heavily on historical reasoning: understanding what has worked before, why organizations succeed or fail, and how context shapes outcomes. Management analysts are projected to grow 9% through 2034, with approximately 130,000 openings per year.

Common career pathways include:

• Management Analyst or Business Consultant
• Market Research Analyst
• Human Resources Specialist or Organizational Development Consultant
• Corporate Historian or Brand Archivist
• Competitive Intelligence Analyst
• Training and Development Specialist
• Operations Manager or General Manager*

Management and senior consulting roles typically require several years of experience beyond the bachelor's degree. MBA programs often recruit history graduates for their analytical and communication strengths.

Nonprofit, Advocacy, and International Organizations

History graduates bring essential context to nonprofit organizations, international development agencies, advocacy groups and foundations — understanding how institutions and movements evolve, what has worked in the past and how to communicate complex stories to diverse audiences. This sector employs history graduates across program management, grant writing, policy research, community engagement and communications.

Common career pathways include:

• Nonprofit Program Officer or Director
• Grant Writer or Development Associate
• International Development Specialist (USAID, World Bank, UN agencies)
• Advocacy Campaign Manager
• Community Historian or Oral History Coordinator
• Foundation Program Manager
• Social Justice Researcher or Policy Advocate

Preparing You for What's Next

A History degree from the University of Louisville builds more than historical knowledge. Through Social Sciences and Humanities concentrations — and through real engagement with Louisville's rich historical landscape and public history internship network — you'll develop the research discipline, analytical writing and contextual reasoning that graduate programs, law schools, employers and cultural institutions consistently seek.

Whether you're heading into law, education, public service, the private sector or graduate research, your training in how to think historically gives you a foundation that grows more valuable as the world becomes harder to understand without it.

Career outcomes vary based on role, industry, experience, location and additional education. Career pathways listed reflect common directions pursued by graduates and are informed by national labor and education data, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (bls.gov/ooh), Employment Projections 2024–2034, and Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce research (cew.georgetown.edu).