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Career Opportunities with a Major in Anthropology

Many jobs require a college educated individual. College graduates can use their education in a wide variety of occupations.

A career in anthropology provides the opportunity to explore the relationship between cultures and people, and to gather and analyze data that deals with social organization and interaction. Jobs for students with degrees in Anthropology are available in many different areas, depending on the emphasis developed within the major. Jobs are available in contract archaeology, community services, education, research, museums, and - to a certain extent - business, industry, and government areas where cross-cultural concerns are important. Career opportunities in anthropology may be quite competitive.

 

SKILLS RELATED TO ANTHROPOLOGY

  • Interest in the totality of human experience from its beginnings to the present

  • Aptitude for basic scientific problem solving

  • Analytical skills, oral and written communication skills

  • "People" skills, and a thorough understanding of many different cultures

  • Ability to interpret/evaluate events, information and ideas representing the past

  • Ability to visualize how things fit together to form a whole

  • Ability to analyze data and find new ways to do things

  • Ability to do mathematical calculations

  • Good vision, spatial, and manual dexterity

The following list is a representative sample of job titles for individuals with an anthropology major.
The list represents some, but certainly not all, careers which anthropology majors may consider.

Some of these jobs also require education beyond a bachelor's degree.

 

Anthropologist Applied Anthropologist Archaeologist
Archivist Biographer College Professor
Community Relations Director Conservator Consumer Researcher
Cultural Artifact Specialist Cultural Resource Manager Curator
Environmental Impact Assessment Researcher Ethnic Minority Program Administrator Ethnographer
Exhibit Assistant Forensic Anthropologist Geographer
Genealogist Historian Librarian
Linguistic Anthropologist Medical Anthropologist Museum Curator / Technician
Musuem Education Director Paleontologist Park Ranger
Parks Consultant Physical Anthropologist Political Scientist
Primatologist Public Health Worker Research Assistant
Resource Management Coordinator Social Worker Sociologist
Social Impact Assessment Consultant Social Science Analyst Statistician
Teacher, Elementary / Secondary Travel Advisor Urban Planner

 

EMPLOYERS IN ANTHROPOLOGY

  • Colleges/Universities

  • Consulting firms

  • Government agencies

  • Historical societies

  • Journals

  • Law enforcement agencies

  • Law firms

  • Libraries

  • Marketing and Research firms

  • Medical services

  • Museums

  • National Park Service

  • Non-profit organizations

  • Peace Corps

  • Private industries

  • Professional counseling agencies

  • Research firms

  • Social service organizations

  • U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs

  • U.S. Bureau of Land Management

 

WEB SITES RELATED TO ANTHROPOLOGY

 

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS FIELD

The above information is collected from alumni surveys of numerous colleges, professional associations, and multiple print and online resources.