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Careers in Anthropology
What can you do with a degree in Anthropology?
There is no single, obvious answer to this question. But that's not a bad thing! As you'll see from the resources we've collected here, our students go on to careers in a wide range of fields, from cultural resource management to UX (user experience) research to foreign service to teaching to working in banks, business, and museums. Check out the resources below for more information on careers in Anthropology!
Our students learn to think clearly and critically, to engage with a wide range of differing perspectives, and consider other ways of knowing and being, and to develop ethical, inclusive, and insightful responses to the most pressing social issues.
Our four-field approach at Western—combining archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology—gives students the tool kit they need to excel in a variety of areas, including careers in business, education, the nonprofit sector, and public service. See below some examples of Anthropology jobs grouped by categories and subcategories:
Government (Public Sector)  |
Corporate and Business  |
Non-Profit and Community-based  |
Academic (Research and Education)  |
Where are anthropologists working? (American Anthropological Association)
Take a look at the American Anthropological Association’s resource page to learn more about major career paths Anthropologist can be pursuing.
Former students from the University of South Florida put together an excellent slideshow that touches on a wide range of things that students can do with an Anthropology degree. Check out their This is Anthropology slideshow.
Welcome to Anthropology in Action!
This is a mini-series (hosted by Sanjana Jones) consisting of interviews with professionals who have anthropology degrees and backgrounds. It’s meant to show the breadth of anthropology and introduce students to a diversity of career avenues.
| Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 |
You may be wondering how you can start preparing for your future career in Anthropology.
Apart from studying hard and learning more about Anthropology subfields of your liking through Western Anthro courses, there is a number of resources you can benefit from, such as Career Tools for Anthropology on the Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN) website and videos with our alumni advice. We’ve gathered them together for you on our Career Readiness webpage.
Check out these websites for current job postings:
The Canadian Anthropology Society / Société Canadienne d’anthropologie (CASCA)
American Anthropological Association
Careers in Primatology (Wisconsin)
Anthro Graducation is a website that explores all things Anthropology from the perspective of graduate students. Among other things, it shares professional experiences of the people (Western staff and alumni) who graduated with a degree in one of the Anthropology subfields.
Still have questions?
For more information about what you can do with your degree in Anthropology, feel free to contact us anytime.