What can you do with a degree in anthropology?
To say that you can do anything with a degree in anthropology is trite but true. A survey of our alumni shows that they hold a variety of positions in a wide range of fields and careers. You can learn more about the different careers of our alumni and other anthropologists by reading our alumni profiles.
Our alumni are pursuing careers in anthropology and careers with anthropology. Alumni with careers in anthropology work in museums, cultural resource management, academia, and forensics. Alumni in careers with anthropology work as lawyers, teachers, managers, engineers, technicians, researchers, law professionals, financial professionals, and graphic designers. Most of our alumni are pursuing careers with anthropology.
In addition to pursuing careers right out of college, our majors provide excellent preparation for advanced study in a variety of graduate programs and professional schools including Law School, Medical School, Public Health and Business School. More information about careers can be found at the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA). Also, the US News report ranks anthropology at #5 in Best Science Jobs.
Career Resources
The department, college, and university offer many services and resources to prepare students for careers and life beyond the degree. Here is a list of some of the important ones.
[pdf] - Some links on this page are to .pdf files, which require the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open them. If you do not have Reader, you may use the following link to Adobe to download it for free at: Adobe Acrobat Reader
ASC Career and Professional Success developed a handout for students in anthropology that provides an overview of job titles and professional fields students can explore.
The Department of Anthropology offers the course ANTHROP 3005: Careers with Anthropology, which prepares students from all sub-fields of anthropology for life beyond the degree. Students conduct exercises to discover what they are looking for in work and careers, they learn how to translate and communicate their anthropological and other skills to employers and clients, and they learn how to research their career communities using informational interviewing and other networking strategies.
The Center for Career and Professional Success of the College of Arts and Sciences has many programs and resources for anthropology students, including career coaches, career fairs, career courses, internship courses, and much more. All the support and services are free for students in the College of Arts and Sciences - take advantage of them.
Buckeye Careers of the Office of Student Life is another great resource for anthropology students. You can start with the factsheet: what can I do with a degree in anthropology? But you can also make an appointment with a career coach and learn about yourself and the careers that match your interests. Again, the services are free - take advantage of them.
You can connect with the Department of Anthropology on LinkedIn and stay in touch and keep up with news from the department. LinkedIn is also a great way to connect with alumni from our department who are working in a wide range of careers. There are more than 2,500 anthropology alumni from Ohio State on LinkedIn. You can search for anthropology alumni in particular careers, companies or locations and then connect with them for an informational interview.
AlumniFire for Ohio State is a grassroots networking community launched by Ohio State community members in 2016. You can connect with fellow Buckeyes for career exploration, finding old friends, affinity groups, or sharing relevant information. It has more than 8,000 members and an active job board.
Ohio State has partnered with Handshake, a platform for college recruiting. Handshake is a career-management platform that allows Ohio State students and recent graduates to connect with employers and internship sites in the corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors that are interested in recruiting Ohio State students.
The American Anthropological Association has a website dedicated to Anthropology Careers and Employment with information about careers in and with anthropology for undergraduate and graduate students.
The Anthropology Career Readiness Network is a network for instructors and students interested in careers with anthropology (https://anthrocareerready.net). There are a lot of great resources for faculty interested in preparing students for a wide of range of careers, and great resources for students exploring careers. You can join the network here: https://anthrocareerready.net/contact/.