What can you do with a B.A. in Anthropology?

Question

I am thinking about majoring in Anthropology but have heard its hard to get a job. What can you do with the degree and is it hard to get a job?

Answer 1

I went through this same issue. I have a BA in cultural anthropology with a focus in linguistic anth, and I knew I would have to have at least a master's  to do something directly related to my area of interest; otherwise, it is a really good general degree to have. You would have to be creative in finding a job where you can use your knowledge of anthropology, if you don't have some kind of specialized graduate degree.

Places to look could include non-profits that help various types of communities. Or maybe managerial human resources type jobs. Also, I found one company that does ethnographic research for advertisers, and they actually sometimes had openings for people with BA degrees in anthropology, called Context-Based Research Group. You also might want to check the American Anthropology Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology for links and ideas.

Think in terms of finding a job that will put your knowledge of culture and society to use; not necessarily finding a job as an "anthropologist;" that will open up a lot more options.

Personally, I had no idea what I wanted to do; I ended up applying to graduate school to get a master's of education in teaching English to speakers of other languages. (ESOL)

I hope that helps

Good luck!

Answer 2

A B.A. in anthropology is more or less a stepping stone to going back to school.  There are some things you can do, like social work, non-profit work, etc, but if you dream of being the next Margaret Mead plan on going back to school for at least a Masters.  

Here's just a fact: There are 15,000 working anthropologist working in the United States right now, however 6,000 people graduate with a B.A. in Anth yearly.  

One thing to look up to though, is it is becoming more and more acceptable in the profession to only have a Masters.  Statistics are showing the most working Anthropologist are stopping at their Masters.  

However... a Masters has many limitations like a B.A. Anthropology is a great degree/profession, but you must plan on spending many years in school to be a true working Anthropologist.  

Answer 3

"You want fries with that?"

A BA doesn't do you much good except for jobs that just want you to have A degree. Most of it, such as salvage archeology, pretty much requires at least an MA, unless you just want to be a gofer. Or a gopher (archeological humor).

Answer 4

Work at McDonalds.

Its interesting stuff but you will never get a job related to it.