Anthropology Careers
Anthropology is an ambitious field that spans the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. We collaborate often with other disciplines, emphasize writing and field skills, and use a variety of methods to help us answer our research questions. Our majors learn how to write reports, conduct interviews and surveys, identify bones, explain inheritance, map and excavate sites, and (all too often) change a tire when the field truck gets a flat! This broad training means that our students go on to excel in many different professions.
Some careers only require a college degree and perhaps some relevant coursework or field training. For example, students who have completed an archaeological field school and a B.A. in anthropology are qualified for most entry-level work in archaeology. Other career paths may require more specialized training. Professional work in forensic anthropology, for example, usually requires a Ph.D. and board certification. We encourage you to meet with anthropology faculty to discuss your interests and get advice on how to reach your career goals.
The sections below offer some examples of common career paths, and some useful links for internships and job postings.
Some Common Careers
These links connect to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics "occupational outlook" for each area/industry.
Resources for Job and Internship Postings
- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation website lists jobs and internships. The ACHP is a federal agency whose sole mission is historic preservation.
- American Alliance of Museums job board.
- American Anthropology Association career center. Many (but not all) of these listings are for academic positions. Most require a MA or PhD degree.
- American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) job board. This website posts advertisements for jobs related to local history, including work at museums and historic sites.
- American Cultural Resources Association job board. This website posts listings for jobs in cultural resource management (CRM).
- Conservationjobboard.com. This website posts jobs in conservation, sustainability, ecology, forestry, wildlife, and related fields.
- Forensic Anthropology career website. This website provides information about careers in forensic anthropology, most of which require a PhD degree.
- National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA) list of job boards. NAPA provides resources and mentorship for applied anthropologists, especially those trained in cultural anthropology.
- You might also check out sNAPAshots, a recent webseries featuring conversations with professional, practicing, and applied anthropologist.
- National Council on Public History job board. This website lists jobs in public history, including museums, historic sites, and historic preservation.
- National Park Service website for NPS internships and jobs, including Pathways positions.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation job board. This website posts jobs related to historic preservation, including many in archaeology.
- Preservation Directory job board. This website posts job listings in historic preservation.
- PreserveNet is a website for job listings in historic preservation or related fields.
- Register for Professional Archaeologists job board. This wesbite posts job advertisements, and also includes links to other job boards.
- Student Conservation Association (SCA) paid internship postings.
- ShovelBums.org . This website posts job advertisements in archaeology, especially in the private sector (CRM). They also have a Facebook page.
- Society for American Archaeology job board. Many of the jobs posted on this site require a MA or PhD degree.
- Society for Applied Anthropology job board. Many of the jobs posted on this site require a MA or PhD degree.
- Society of Black Archaeologists job board.
- Usajobs.gov is the site that manages all federal job postings and applications. Archaeologists should search the job series code "0193" because job postings may be spelled two different ways ( Archeologist or Archaeologist).
