Anthropology

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Charity officer
• Civil Service Fast Streamer
• Community development worker
• Government social research officer
• Housing manager/officer
• International aid/development worker
• Local government officer
• Market researcher
• Museum/gallery curator
• Secondary school teacher
• Social researcher

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Care manager
• Chaplain
• Equality, diversity and inclusion officer
• Palaeontologist
• Policy officer
• Political risk analyst
• Public relations officer
• Social worker

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

Work experience

Relevant work experience can help you explore career options, develop practical skills and show employers your interest in a particular area.

If you're interested in charity or international development work, look for volunteering, internships or paid experience with charities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community groups or development organisations.

For careers in local government, museums or heritage, contact relevant organisations to ask about work experience, volunteering, projects and events you could support.

Involvement in a student society can also help you develop relevant skills and experience in, for example, publicity, campaigning and public speaking.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

Anthropology graduates work across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. You could use your knowledge of people, cultures and societies, alongside your research and analytical skills, in areas such as government, international development, research, education, business and community work.

Employers include charities and NGOs, Civil Service and other government organisations, consultancies, international organisations, local authorities, museums and heritage organisations, research organisations and universities.

You could also pursue a role in:

• advertising
• conservation
• health and social work
• museum and heritage management
• media and communications
• sales and marketing.

Find information on employers in charity and voluntary work, marketing, advertising and PR, and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

Studying anthropology develops skills that are useful across a range of careers. These include:

• analytical and critical thinking - examining complex information, questioning assumptions and developing evidence-based arguments
• cultural awareness - understanding different perspectives, societies and ways of life
• oral and written communication - presenting ideas and research clearly to different audiences
• problem solving - approaching social and cultural issues from different perspectives
• research and data analysis - using qualitative, ethnographic and, depending on your course, quantitative research methods
• teamwork - discussing ideas, carrying out group projects and working with people from different backgrounds
• time and project management - planning research, meeting deadlines and working independently.

You'll also develop subject-specific knowledge of human societies and cultures. Depending on your course, this may include areas such as biological anthropology, evolution and genetics, globalisation, language and communication, material culture, politics, religion and social change.

Further study

You could choose postgraduate study to specialise further in anthropology or develop the knowledge and qualifications needed for a particular career. Subjects include:

• anthropology specialisms, such as environmental, medical, social or visual anthropology
• criminology
• development studies
• human geography
• museum and heritage studies
• public health
• social research methods
• teaching.

Some students go on to study a Masters degree, specialising 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 are also available, such as museum ethnography, counselling, health and social work.

To find a course that interests you, search postgraduate courses in anthropology.

What do anthropology graduates do?

The five most commonly reported occupations of anthropology graduates are:

• sales and retail assistants (6%)
• advertising and marketing associate professionals (4%)
• public relations professionals (4%)
• waiters and waitresses (3%)
• human resources and industrial relations officers (3%).

Find out what other anthropology graduates are doing 15 months after finishing their degrees in What do graduates do?

Graduate Outcomes survey data from HESA.