History is your passion. Turning it into a career is ours.

Whether your history major is preparing you for a career in education, nonprofit organizations, government, business, or advanced degrees in law school or graduate school, we will support your journey as you search for an internship and future career opportunities.

As a history major, you will take a course called “The Historian’s Toolbox” (HIST 3010) where you can access career exploration tools and professional development resources uniquely tailored for you.

LAS Career Services and their network host thousands of employers at on-campus career fairs each year, and they can connect you with potential employers and professional schools. Every LAS student completes a career prep course led by the career services team, called “Professional Career Preparation” (LAS 2030), and you can choose from several other opportunities to help you launch your career.

What can I do with a history degree?

Our history majors graduate career-ready with skills that are in demand in professional fields like education, business, government, and public history. You are also exceptionally well-prepared to create competitive law school and graduate school applications.

In addition to the impressive historical knowledge you receive from our expansive curriculum, our history graduates possess tools for writing, creating presentations, research and analysis, problem-solving, project management, critical thinking, and global understanding. These “soft skills” have a staying power that outlast trends and are sought after in numerous professional fields.

Our graduates are working in major corporations and museums throughout the world, including 3M, Collins Aerospace, John Deere, U.S. Department of Defense, General Motors, Smithsonian Institution, Living History Farms, and more. Their job titles run the gamut – from preservation specialist to museum curator to information technology manager to claims adjustor – and everything in between.

Layk

Being a history major opened a lot of opportunities. Since archives and history go hand in hand together, several of my professors were able to help me secure internships that dealt with both. I do not think any other degree would have given me better opportunities to succeed.

Layk Nollen, ’24 history

Internship opportunities

History majors interested in working in private industry, museums, or nonprofit organizations can gain professional work experience and career-boosting skills through internships. Our students have interned locally at Iowa State’s Farm House Museum, the Ames History Museum, and Living History Farms in Des Moines. There are opportunities beyond Iowa’s borders as well. History faculty members and the LAS Career Services team can assist you with finding an internship that’s the perfect fit.

Teaching opportunities

Our history education majors are required to have a second major in education but are housed in the Department of History. This means you’ll be deeply immersed in the department’s history curriculum, an uncommon practice at other colleges and universities. The advantages? A primary major in history will help you stand out among other teacher candidates, and you’ll be able to share your deep knowledge of historical events, periods, and geographic areas with your future students. That’s why our history department boasts a 95% placement rate for teaching positions. And if you ever choose to leave education, your degree makes you a versatile candidate for other career paths.

Alumni spotlights

  • Morgan Clark

    Morgan Clark

    8th grade social studies and language arts teacher

  • Rebecca Dickman

    Rebecca Dickman

    Curator, Amana Heritage Society, Amana Colonies

  • Ian Hunter

    Ian Hunter

    Client Service Representative, Marsh McLennan

Career resources

To help make your job or internship search easier, we’ve compiled links to numerous websites that list potential job openings for history majors. Start your job search today by clicking on the button below.

Tilman Engel

Alumni careers: Tilman Engel

CEO, Sport Business Consulting International and director of audience and marketing for the Qatar Stars Soccer League and the National Football League Europe.