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What can I do with a major in anthropology?

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SUNY Oswego - Career Services

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Companies:
Columbia University
AmeriCorps
Bronx Zoo

Titles:
Research Assistant
Author/Historian
Professor of Anthropology

Search for employers hiring graduates in your major

Employers in NY: 330
Employers in US: 5,592

 

Explore the numerous career fields related to your major

Education
Areas

Teaching
Research
Administration
Student Affairs
Library/Information Science
Non-classroom Education

Employers

Universities/colleges/community colleges
University research institutes or laboratories
Campus museums
Zoos
Nature centers

Sample occupations

Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary
History Teachers, Postsecondary
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary

Museums and Archives
Areas

Management/Administration
Curatorship
Conservation
Restoration
Research
Education
Libraries
Development

Employers

Natural history or history museums:

  • Universities 
  • State, federal or local 
  • Private

Archives
Historical societies

Sample occupations

Curators
Archivists
Historians

Archaeology
Areas

Cultural Resource Management
Research
Excavation
Field Work

Employers

Consulting firms
Environmental/engineering companies
Firms specializing in archaeological investigation
Federal, state and local government
Urban and city planning offices
Historic preservation societies

Sample occupations

Archeologists
Anthropologists
Sociologists

Government
Areas

Administration
Cultural Resource Management
Surveying
Site Management
Excavation
Research
Museum Conservation
Legislative Compliance Review
Program Management and Evaluation
Impact Assessment: Social, Environmental
Policy Analysis
Urban Planning
Translation/Interpretation

Employers

Federal agencies including:

  • Bureau of Indian Affairs 
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • Central Intelligence Agency 
  • Departments of: Conservation, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Natural Resources
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Park Service 
  • Public Health Service
  • Smithsonian Institute
  • Tennessee Valley Authority 
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
  • U.S. Department of State
  • U.S. Forest Service

State agencies including:

  • Historic Preservation Offices 
  • Parks Departments 
  • Highway Departments
Sample occupations

Geographers

Non-profit
Areas

Administration
Program Management and Development
Policy Analysis
Fund Raising/Development
Research
Grant Writing
Counseling

Employers

Nonprofit organizations
Social service agencies
Hospitals and medical centers
Private foundations, e.g. The Ford Foundation
International organizations, e.g. The World Health Organization, The International Red Cross, and the United Nations

Sample occupations

Social and Community Service Managers

Business
Areas

Management
Sales/Marketing
Human Resources
Public Relations
Consulting

Employers

Business corporations in various industries such as:

  • Banking
  • Retailing
  • Insurance
  • Financial
  • Services
  • Travel and tourism 

Cultural resource firms
International companies
Consulting firms: management, scientific, technical

Sample occupations
Communications
Areas

Documentary Film Production
Photography/Photojournalism
Journalism
Writing/Editing
Publishing

Employers

Colleges and universities
Government agencies
Government or private museums
Local historical societies or sites
Television and motion picture industry
Internet media companies
Independent production companies
Publishing houses
Newspapers and magazines
Freelance/self-employed

Sample occupations

General information and strategies

  • Most professional anthropological jobs require a graduate degree.
  • Those interested in anthropology may specialize in one of its four branches:
  • archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, or physical anthropology.
  • Many subfields exist within the larger specialties such as forensic anthropology, a subfield of physical anthropology.
  • Typically students take a general curriculum as an undergraduate and specialize through graduate studies.
  • As the demand for university/college faculty positions decreases, most openings will exist in consulting firms and government agencies.
  • To increase your employment opportunities with a bachelor's degree, consider minoring or double majoring in another field such as sociology, business, urban planning, or public administration.
  • Anthropology provides a solid background for a variety of graduate programs including law, medicine, forensics, or genetic counseling.
  • Anthropology is good preparation for jobs that involve people skills and require an understanding of cultural differences.
  • Spend a summer in field school or travel and study other cultures.