Choosing History as Preparation for Law School

The American Bar Association emphasizes that "there is no single path that will prepare you for a legal education," and it does not recommend any specific major. You can choose to study what interests you, but you also want to make sure the undergraduate program you choose allows you to cultivate the skills necessary to gain admission to and succeed in law school.

History is one of several majors that are recognized as traditional pathways to legal careers.  It fosters many important skills, including:

• Critical reading.
• Writing and editing.
• Research.
• Analyzing fact patterns.
• Source evaluation.
• Argument construction.
• Contextualization.
• Understanding human behavior and social interaction.

If you are going to practice these skills, why not demonstrate your mastery while exploring material that excites you?

Still not sure history is the way to go? The number of current Supreme Court justices who were history majors (four) might convince you, or you might be swayed by LSAT scores and law school admission rates. The Law School Admission Council reports that compared to all US students who applied to and entered law school in 2025, history majors fared very well.

Law School Admission Council, Applicants by Major, 2025.

Resources in the History Department

If you think your career will be in law, you should consider applying to UK BLUE, an accelerated 3+3 program that allows you to complete your bachelor's and law degrees in six years. History is one of several approved UK BLUE majors. If you have questions about the program, you can contact Dr. Melanie Goan, director of UK BLUE and professor of history.