Options with anthropology
Described as the most scientific of the humanities and the most humanistic of the sciences, anthropology is a broad-based discipline that could lead to a variety of careers...
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. To find out what jobs would suit you, log in to My Prospects.
There are many things you can do during your degree to enhance your prospects upon graduation. Involvement in a student society can help you develop relevant skills and experience in, for example, publicity, campaigning, and public speaking.
Try contacting local council offices or museums and galleries for information about project activities and ask if they need volunteers to help out with the organisation or running of events.
Gaining work experience is vital when starting out in most careers and shows commitment to a future employer. Take a proactive approach and find opportunities in which you can build up a desirable range of skills, such as communication, planning, and project management.
Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.
Only a tiny proportion of graduates become anthropologists, as academics or researchers. Some choose careers that build directly on anthropology, including social policy and teaching, development/overseas agencies and work for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including:
A high proportion of anthropology graduates work in the public and not-for-profit sectors, all branches of the Civil Service, local government, charities, central government bodies, universities, international organisations, such as the United Nations (UN) , museums and voluntary organisations.
Anthropology graduates also pursue roles in advertising, sales and marketing, positions in museums, conservation, and heritage management and careers related to health and social work.
Find information on employers in public sector, charities and voluntary work, marketing, advertising and PR, and other job sectors.
As well as knowledge of anthropology, your degree equips you with general skills, including:
You may also be able to offer subject-specific knowledge, such as genetic and biological traits, globalisation and society, an understanding of how cultures function and their common traits, and the importance of language and power.
Courses chosen by recent graduates include law, industrial relations, teaching, development studies, environmental anthropology, journalism, criminology, youth and community work, public health, and marketing.
Some students go on to Masters degrees and specialise in an anthropological area, such as visual or medical anthropology, while others pursue related disciplines, such as community health, sociology, social research methods, politics, human geography and economics.
Vocational courses, such as museum enthnography, counselling, health and social work, are also taken up by anthropology graduates. Some anthropology graduates study part time for professional qualifications while working, for example, in personnel management.
For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see postgraduate study in the UK and search courses and research.
More than half of anthropology students get jobs in the UK or overseas after graduation, while nearly one in five go on to further study, with the majority studying for a higher degree.
Find out what other graduates are doing six months after finishing their degrees in What Do Graduates Do?
Graduate destinations data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
