Anthropology major
Anthropology: courses, careers, and where to study
Anthropology studies humanity across cultures, languages, and time, suiting students drawn to fieldwork, qualitative research, and questions about how human societies live and change.
An Anthropology major is usually a bachelor's degree that examines humanity through several traditional subfields: cultural anthropology (societies, beliefs, and customs), archaeology (past peoples through their material remains), biological/physical anthropology (human evolution, genetics, and primatology), and linguistic anthropology (language and communication). Programs combine ethnographic and qualitative methods with research design, and many include a field school, lab work in excavation or skeletal analysis, or a senior research project.
A bachelor's in Anthropology prepares graduates for work in cultural resource management, museums, market and user research, international development, nonprofits, and public health, where ethnographic and cross-cultural skills are valued. Many research and academic positions in the field, however, typically require a master's degree or higher. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of anthropologists and archeologists to grow 3.7% from 2024 to 2034, with a 2024 median annual wage of $64,910 reported by BLS.
Anthropology pairs well with sociology, biology, history, or a foreign language, and students leaning toward archaeology or biological anthropology often add coursework in geology, statistics, or laboratory science.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Anthropology maps to CIP 45.0201, Anthropology, General, within the SOCIAL SCIENCES family. The official definition:
A program that focuses on the systematic study of human beings, their antecedents and related primates, and their cultural behavior and institutions, in comparative perspective. Includes instruction in 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Anthropology is awarded as
Of the 10,710 Anthropology credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate2%212
- Associate8%872
- Bachelor's76%8,123
- Graduate14%1,503
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 44 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 11 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Cultural anthropology and ethnographic theory
- Archaeology and excavation methods
- Biological/physical anthropology and human evolution
- Linguistic anthropology and language analysis
- Qualitative research and participant observation
- Field school or laboratory fieldwork
- Cross-cultural analysis and research ethics
- Senior research project or thesis
Typical careers
- Anthropologists and archeologists
- Cultural Resource Management Specialist
- Museum Curator or Collections Assistant
- User / UX Researcher
- Market Research Analyst
- International Development / Nonprofit Program Officer
Typical salary range: BLS, 2024 anthropologists and archeologists median $64,910Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Anthropology, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, All Other | $136,550 | 106,700 | +4.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Anthropologists and Archeologists | $64,910 | 800 | +3.7% | Master's degree |
| Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary | $95,770 | 500 | +2.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 3 of these 3 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Anthropology does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Anthropology major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Anthropology program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Anthropology department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Anthropology program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Anthropology credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- University of California-Los AngelesCA · 210
- Arizona State University Digital ImmersionAZ · 161
- Southern New Hampshire UniversityNH · 153
- University of FloridaFL · 146
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNC · 140
- University of California-Santa BarbaraCA · 124
- University of Central FloridaFL · 121
- Arizona State University Campus ImmersionAZ · 119
- The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTN · 115
- University of California-Santa CruzCA · 109
- Texas State UniversityTX · 108
- Washington University in St LouisMO · 99
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Anthropology credentials were awarded
24 states have a distinct enough set of Anthropology colleges to be worth its own page.
Related majors
Sociology
Sociology studies social institutions, group behavior, inequality, and culture, preparing graduates for research, policy, social services, and graduate school in law or social work.
History
History trains graduates in research, evidence, and argument, feeding into law, education, museums, government, and any field that values long-form analytical writing.
Biology
Biology is the foundational pre-health major, covering molecular, cellular, organismal, and ecological levels of living systems.
Psychology
Psychology majors study human cognition, behavior, and emotion, preparing graduates for clinical, research, business, and human-services careers (and graduate school in clinical, counseling, and I/O psych).
Environmental Science
Environmental Science combines biology, chemistry, geology, and policy to address climate, conservation, water, and pollution challenges.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Anthropology degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Management careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Science & Research careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Anthropology degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Anthropology path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.