Social Sciences
Anthropology
Focuses on the systematic study of human beings, their antecedents and related primates, and their cultural behavior and institutions, in comparative perspective. Covers biological/physical anthropology, primatology, human paleontology and prehistoric archeology, hominid evolution, anthropological linguistics, ethnography, ethnology, ethnohistory, socio-cultural anthropology, psychological anthropology, research methods, and applications to areas such as medicine, forensic pathology, museum studies, and international affairs.
Inside the major
Programs within this field
Colleges may offer this field under 6 more specific program names. The program you choose affects the courses you take.
- Anthropology, General
- Focuses on the systematic study of human beings, their antecedents and related primates, and their cultural behavior and institutions, in comparative perspective. Covers biological/physical anthropology, primatology, human paleontology and prehistoric archeology, hominid evolution, anthropological linguistics, ethnography, ethnology, ethnohistory, socio-cultural anthropology, psychological anthropology, research methods, and applications to areas such as medicine, forensic pathology, museum studies, and international affairs.
- Physical and Biological Anthropology
- Focuses on the application of the biological sciences and anthropology to the study of the adaptations, variability, and the evolution of human beings and their living and fossil relatives. Includes instructions in anthropology, human and mammalian anatomy, cell biology, paleontology, human culture and behavior, neuroscience, forensic anthropology, anatomical reconstruction, comparative anatomy, and laboratory science and methods.
- Medical Anthropology
- Focuses on biological, socio-cultural, psychological, and behavioral factors as they relate to health, illness, medical practices, and access to health care services. Covers ethno-medicine, urban health, international health, psychiatric and psychological anthropology, aging, and health and identity.
- Cultural Anthropology
- Focuses on the study of culture and the relationship of culture to other aspects of social life. Covers cultural anthropology, anthropological theory, enthnography, linguistics, and quantitative and qualitative research methods.
- Forensic Anthropology
- Focuses on the application of the biological sciences and skeletal anthropology in medicolegal death investigations. Covers biological anthropology theory, crime scene investigation, forensic anthropology field methods, forensic anthropological techniques and procedures, human anatomy, methods of human identification, mortuary archaeology, osteology, and taphonomy.
- Anthropology, Other
- Anthropology not listed above.
Also called Cultural Anthropology, Cultural and Social Anthropology, Socio-Cultural Anthropology
Where it can lead
Careers this field can lead to
Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.
Managers, All Other
- Median pay
- $141,900
- Hiring change through 2035
- 4.9%
- Job openings a year
- 100,900
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing fastMedical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
- Median pay
- $103,410
- Hiring change through 2035
- 12.6%
- Job openings a year
- 10,500
To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this career GrowingAnthropologists and Archeologists
- Median pay
- $70,770
- Hiring change through 2035
- 6.0%
- Job openings a year
- 800
To get hiredMaster's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyAnthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $99,650
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.6%
- Job openings a year
- 400
To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this career Growing fastForensic Science Technicians
- Median pay
- $72,060
- Hiring change through 2035
- 13.3%
- Job openings a year
- 2,800
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyArea, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $85,020
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.7%
- Job openings a year
- 1,000
To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this careerAll work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $25,095 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.
Working style
How and where the work happens
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College options
Where to study it
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