undergradly.
Major · Social Sciences

The study of what makes us human across time and culture

Anthropology is a broad social science that examines human biology, culture, language, and prehistory from a comparative perspective. About 7,889 degrees are awarded annually across 576 colleges. The bachelor's degree typically functions as a foundation for graduate study rather than a direct entry credential into anthropology careers.

Schools offering
576
Annual completions
7,889
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$47k

About this major

Anthropology studies humanity from as many angles as the discipline can manage simultaneously — biological evolution, cultural practice, language, and the material record left by past societies. The CIP definition frames it as the systematic study of human beings, their antecedents and related primates, and their cultural behavior and institutions in comparative perspective. In practice, coursework moves between four subfields: biological anthropology (evolution, primatology, human osteology), cultural anthropology (ethnography, kinship, religion, economic systems), archaeology (material culture, site analysis, prehistoric and historic contexts), and linguistic anthropology (language structure, sociolinguistics, discourse). Programs vary in their emphasis — some are heavily cultural and theoretical, others have substantial biological or archaeological lab components.

The discipline attracts students drawn to questions about difference and similarity across human societies: why do kinship systems take so many forms, how do biological and cultural factors interact in shaping behavior, what can the material record tell us about people who left no written history. It rewards careful observation, tolerance for ambiguous data, and an ability to hold multiple analytical frameworks simultaneously. The writing tends to be interpretive rather than technical, though quantitative methods are increasingly present, especially in biological and archaeological tracks.

About 7,889 degrees in this major are awarded per year across 576 colleges. Most completions are at the bachelor's level. The direct occupational path — anthropologist or archeologist — carries a median wage of $64,910 but lists a master's degree as the typical entry credential, which means the bachelor's functions more as a foundation for further study than a direct workforce credential in the field itself.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Managers, all other $137k +4.5% Bachelor's degree
Anthropologists and archeologists $65k +3.7% Master's degree
Anthropology and archeology teachers, postsecondary $96k +2.7% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$47k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you find yourself genuinely curious about why human societies organize themselves so differently from one another and want a rigorous framework for investigating that question. You may also fit well here if you are drawn to fieldwork — spending time in communities, collecting primary data, working with material evidence — rather than staying inside a library or lab. Students who can hold interpretive ambiguity without it feeling like a failure tend to do better here than those who need clear right answers. And if your plan includes graduate school in anthropology, public health, law, or a social science research field, the undergraduate major provides a strong analytical and methodological base.

Think twice if you need a bachelor's degree to function as a clear, direct credential for a specific career — the five-year median earnings of $47,434 and the master's-required entry credential for the core occupation both signal that the bachelor's alone does not close the loop. Think twice also if you want a curriculum that maps legibly onto a defined industry; anthropology's career paths after the bachelor's require more self-directed navigation than majors with established recruiting pipelines. And if you're interested in human behavior primarily through a quantitative or clinical lens, Psychology or Sociology may serve that interest with more predictable early-career outcomes.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Anthropology, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 0 174 174
Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 0 153 153
Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ 0 136 136
University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 0 106 106
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 0 103 103
University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA 0 101 101
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN 0 101 101
University of Florida Gainesville, FL 0 94 94
Texas State University San Marcos, TX 0 75 75
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 73 73
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Sociology and Anthropology

425 completions/yr

Archeology

206 completions/yr

Medical Anthropology

184 completions/yr

Ancient Studies/Civilization

85 completions/yr

Anthropology, Other

62 completions/yr

Cultural Anthropology

42 completions/yr

Physical and Biological Anthropology

19 completions/yr

Forensic Anthropology

12 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Anthropology majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework spans four traditional subfields: cultural anthropology (how societies organize meaning and practice), biological/physical anthropology (human evolution, primatology, osteology), archaeology (material evidence of past cultures), and linguistic anthropology (how language shapes and reflects social life). You'll read ethnographies, analyze skeletal specimens or artifacts depending on your subfield emphasis, write interpretive papers, and in many programs conduct fieldwork. Upper-division courses often require original research — an ethnographic interview project, a survey of a local site, or an independent thesis. The work is reading- and writing-heavy with more quantitative methods appearing in biological and archaeological tracks.
What jobs do Anthropology graduates actually get?
The occupation titled 'Anthropologists and archeologists' has a median wage of $64,910, but it requires a master's degree as the typical entry credential — so the bachelor's alone doesn't open that door directly. Postsecondary teaching in the field requires a doctorate. Many graduates enter general management or administrative roles, consulting, government agencies, nonprofits, or international organizations — the 'Managers, all other' category, which carries a $136,550 median wage but is an enormous bucket that reflects career pivots rather than direct placement. Five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers in this major sit around $47,434, which is below average across bachelor's degrees broadly.
Do I need graduate school to work in anthropology?
For the occupation of anthropologist or archeologist specifically, yes — the typical education listed is a master's degree, and academic positions require a doctorate. The bachelor's is a foundational credential, not a terminal one for the discipline. Students who plan to stay in the field should budget for graduate school and factor that into their debt and timeline calculations. Students who are drawn to the subject matter but open to adjacent careers — in policy analysis, cultural consulting, international development, user research, or museum work — will find the degree opens doors through transferable skills rather than direct credentialing.
Is Anthropology the right major, or should I look at a related field?
If your interest is specifically archaeological fieldwork, the standalone Archeology major (206 completions/year) is more narrowly targeted. If you're equally drawn to anthropology and sociology, the combined Sociology and Anthropology major (425 completions/year) covers both and may offer more career flexibility. Medical Anthropology (184 completions/year) and Forensic Anthropology (12 completions/year) are specialized tracks for students with clear subfield interests. For students interested in human behavior but oriented toward policy or social services, Sociology or Political Science may lead to more direct career pathways without requiring graduate school.
What's a realistic earnings picture after an Anthropology bachelor's?
Five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers in this major run about $47,434 — below the national median for four-year degree holders broadly. This figure reflects where graduates land five years out before graduate credentials or significant career progression have accumulated. Students who continue to a master's in anthropology or a related field, or who pivot to sectors like management consulting or government service, tend to see higher earnings at the ten-year mark — though that data isn't directly tracked here. The honest framing is that the bachelor's in anthropology is a long-run investment in intellectual and analytical skills rather than a short-run credential with predictable immediate earnings.
What's a common path after an Anthropology degree if I don't go to graduate school?
Graduates who skip graduate school often end up in roles that draw on transferable skills: qualitative research, program coordination, community outreach, human resources, international work, or user experience research (which has an explicit overlap with ethnographic methods). Government agencies including the Foreign Service, CDC, and federal land management bureaus hire anthropology graduates. Nonprofits, NGOs, and cultural institutions are common employers. The path is less standardized than in STEM fields, which means career success often depends more heavily on internships, networks built during school, and deliberate skill development outside the major curriculum.