Anthropology

Types of Degrees Anthropology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many anthropology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	941
Doctor’s Degree	469
Graduate Certificate	36

What Anthropology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to anthropology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Anthropology Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in anthropology should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Anthropology Majors

anthropology majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Anthropology Majors

A major in anthropology will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Anthropology Major?

People with a anthropology degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Anthropologists	3.9%	$62,410
Anthropology and Archeology Professors	9.9%	$83,940
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Anthropology?

This major is dominated by women with about 72% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of anthropology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	34
Black or African American	32
Hispanic or Latino	115
White	569
International Students	122
Other Races/Ethnicities	69

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Anthropology, too. About 13.0% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Canada
• India
• South Korea
• Turkey

How Much Do Anthropology Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in anthropology was $39,560 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $37,614 (25th percentile) and $42,625 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in anthropology, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Anthropology majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $65,310 to $115,590 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Anthropology

Some careers associated with anthropology require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for anthropology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.5%
Some College Courses	0.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	34.3%
Master’s Degree	20.9%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.9%
Doctoral Degree	34.8%
Post-Doctoral Training	2.8%

Online Anthropology Programs

In 2020-2021, 597 schools offered a anthropology program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	4	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	133	13
Bachelor’s Degree	24	4
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	180	4
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	113	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Anthropology Worth It?

The median salary for a anthropology grad is $94,080 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 136% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,083,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Anthropology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to anthropology.

Major	Number of Grads
Economics	6,173
International Relations & National Security	5,010
Political Science & Government	2,664
Geography & Cartography	2,315
Sociology	1,907
Criminology	936
General Social Sciences	745
Other Social Sciences	532
Urban Studies	432
Archeology	66
Demography & Population Studies	66
Sociology & Anthropology	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Deror avi under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.