Anthropology
Discover more about the BA in Anthropology, and find out about program requirements, courses, and faculty.
Want to find out more about a major? Talk to department heads and professors to have your questions answered and to get the inside track on being an Anthropology major at Purchase College.
Career Possibilities
The following is a list of some career possibilities that students in this major might find rewarding. Remember, that your major does not necessarily determine your career. Graduates use their academic majors in a variety of professional fields.
The options below can be used as a starting point to explore potential career paths, however, you may also want to investigate more using recommended resources to gain a more comprehensive list of careers. Keep in mind that additional education, training, and experiential education beyond your major may be needed to pursue these possibilities.
Acquired Skills
- Oral and Written Expression
- Interviewing
- Formulating & testing hypotheses
- Conducting/explaining scientific research
- Writing descriptive reports
- Reading comprehension
- Cross cultural communication
- Critical thinking
- Analyzing
- Observation
- Attention to detail
Career Titles
- Analyst
- Applied Anthropologist
- Archaeologist
- Archivist
- Art Director
- Conservator
- Consultant
- Counselor
- Cultural Anthropologist
- Curator
- Ecologist
- Educator
- Forensic Scientist
- Fund-raiser
- Health Services Provider
- Lawyer
- Market Researcher
- Museum Exhibit Designer
- Park Guide/Ranger
- Physical Anthropologist
- Professor
- Project Evaluator
- Researcher
- Social Worker
- Teacher
- Tour Guide
- Web Designer
Types of Organizations that Hire
- Museums
- Zoos
- Government
- International Businesses
- Not-for-Profit
- Banks
- Private Industry
- Health Care Agencies
- Advertising/Market Development
- Cultural Organizations
- Social Service Agencies
- Educational Institutions
Career Information and Professional Association Links
- Employers by major
- American Anthropological Association (AAA)
- National Association for the Practice of Anthropology
- Society for Applied Anthropology
-
American Association of Physical
Anthropologists - Society for American Archeology
- Society for Medical Anthropology
- The American Alliance of Museums
- American Ethnological Society
- Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History
- Jobs in Public Service and Administration
- Occupational Outlook Handbook Online: job type descriptions, job growth forecasts, and salary information
Job Search Links
- Career Development Center: log into Purchase JobScore to access jobs posted for Purchase students and alumni
- Idealist: nonprofit website for internships and jobs
- The Chronicle of Higher Education: information and jobs
- New York City Department of Education
- HigherEdJobs: jobs in higher education
- Social Service: great list of variety of social service jobs
- USAJOBS: official jobs website of the US federal government
- State of New York: find opportunities with New York State
- Anthropology Internship Program: American Museum of Natural History
- Smithsonian: Smithsonian jobs, internships, volunteer, and fellowships.
Additional resources are available at the CDC.