If you’re pursuing a degree in history or political science, then you may be interested in learning about the many different career paths that are available to you. Both history and political science are immensely important fields of study, and both can lead to a wide variety of career paths.
Here, we’re going to be looking at four different career paths that are the most popular among history and political science graduates. Whether you are a history major, political science major, or studied both like Amir Handjani did at Boston College, there are a lot of great career opportunities for you to consider.
- Government and Public Administration
With your knowledge of political science and/or history, you’ll be equipped to work in the government. Whether it be a policy analyst, or legislative aide, there are many different jobs that are suitable for recent history and political science graduates within the government.
This article from indeed.com, for example, goes over 10 government jobs for history majors. Some job titles that you could get as a history or political science graduate are: Legislative aide, intelligence analyst, curator, public relations specialist, archaeologist, compliance officer, special agent, policy analyst, historian, and political affairs officer.
There are many more jobs that you can pursue as well within the government. And, if any of the jobs we listed interest you, then we highly recommend doing more research into how you can prepare yourself to get the job you want.
- Law
Both history and political science graduates excel in legal careers, as the extensive knowledge and skills they acquired truly help. History majors, for example, will be able to use their deep knowledge of history to better understand the historical reasons behind particular laws coming into use. Lawyers who can understand why a law was created will have a huge advantage over lawyers who don’t know the history.
Political science majors can draw upon their studies in political science, putting them at an advantage similar to their history major counterparts. A lawyer with a background in political science will also understand the meaning behind laws because these students studied the legal system and political theory.
- Journalism
A career path overlooked by many historians and political scientists alike is actually one that may bring a lot of excitement and value to you. History and political science majors truly excel in journalism. That’s because people coming from this field of study are at an advantage when it comes to analyzing current events and providing informed perspectives.
Many news channels on TV will use political correspondents to help explain complicated situations unfolding live, and they are often well-experienced historians and political scientists.
One of the most well-known political correspondents, for example, Anderson Cooper, obtained a degree in political science from Yale University.
If you have strong writing skills, as many history and political science students develop throughout their time studying, then you may be a natural journalist. The ability to analyze events, clearly communicate ideas, and present arguments in a clear and compelling manner is not a common skill by any measure, and is essential for journalism.
- Education
The fourth and final career path we will be exploring in this article is education. While it is not going to be the most lucrative, it may be one of the more rewarding career paths to pursue. Being able to have a positive influence on so many people is worth more than a big paycheck for many. And your knowledge and expertise in political science or history are going to be extremely valuable at schools from elementary up to esteemed colleges.
Whether it be working at a private university or public elementary school, spreading your knowledge to the next generation is one of the most important jobs to have. For that reason, we consider it a top career path.
If you’re interested in exploring a few more career opportunities for political science or history majors, then we recommend checking out this resource guide from LiveCareer. It goes over some jobs that both majors can get. The article goes over dozens of job titles, listing the expected pay and responsibilities associated with the job.