"Medical anthropology drew me to the field of medicine. For me, the fields of anthropology and medicine have been effortlessly confluent. The recognition of this interplay between health and sickness, and the political, economic and social structures that affect patient outcomes has made me a better clinician, and ultimately has helped me treat the patients I work for."
-Andrea Chan: Orthopaedic Surgeon
Careers by area of interest (or anthropology subfield)
If you are interested in:
biology, osteology, forensics, law, criminal investigations
Forensic Anthropology career areas include:
- Consultative and advisory services to forensic pathologists or coroners
- Crime scene reports
- Expert witnesses in the courtroom
- Human right organizations and government agencies
- Assisting in coordination of a fatality response plan during disaster situations
- Peer reviews of anthropological findings by local specialists
- Academia
If you are interested in:
biology, genetics, health care, research, evolution, primatology
Biological Anthropology career areas include:
- Health sector (Hospitals, public health agencies)
- Government agencies
- Private industries
- Independent consulting
- Environment and Natural Resources
- Journalism
- Zoos
- Academia
- Museums
If you are interested in:
biology, health care, research, community, wellness, socioeconomics, culture
Anthropology of Health career areas include:
- Health Education
- Public Health Research
- Epidemiology
- Medical science
- Health Care Administration
- Health Outreach Coordination
- Health and Social Policy Analysis
- Health Care Consultancy
- Academia
- Social Work
- Nutrition
- Prenatal education and nutrition
- Early childhood development
- Immunization programs
- Chronic disease prevention
- Diabetes management
- Active living
- Food security
- and employment with:
- Regional health services
- Hospitals
- Family practice teams
If you are interested in:
conservation, heritage, preservation, artifacts, community, culture
Archaeology career areas include:
- Cultural Heritage Management
- Local, provincial and federal governments
- Consulting
- Conservation
- Parks/ Historical Sites
- Heritage Foundations
- Libraries/Archives
- Academia
- Museums
At UTM, you can learn about the field of Cultural Heritage Management, also known as cultural resource management or applied archaeology, which aims to protect artifacts, archaeological sites and cultural landscapes, that have meaning for people in the present.
If you are interested in:
communication, marketing, journalism, professional writing, culture, health
Linguistic Anthropology career areas include:
- Publishing and Advertising
- Technical writing
- Journalism
- Consulting
- Government agencies (foreign affairs, justice, Immigration)
- Health (speech pathology, audiology)
- Computational linguistics (e.g. computer-assisted linguistic analysis, speech recognition)
- Market research
- Academia
If you are interested in:
contemporary forms of social, cultural and political life and human institutions, both at home and elsewhere
Sociocultural Anthropology career areas include:
• Business
• Consulting
• Diplomacy
• Education
• Environment
• Foreign Affairs
• Health Care
• Human Rights
• Immigration
• International Development
• Journalism
• Law
• Market Research
• Political Activism
• Policy Analysis
• Politics
• Public & Global Health
• Public Policy
• Public Relations
• Publishing
• Social Policy
• Social Services
• Social Work
Examples of where anthropologists work:
- National and international agencies, both governmental and non-governmental
- Fields related to human rights, public health, heritage and preservation, criminal justice, or science and technology policy
- Private companies in public outreach, advertising, tourism, engineering and construction, and data or lab analysis
- Universities and colleges as teachers, researchers, and staff
- Museums or research institutes
- and many additional career pathways!
Additional examples of career areas and positions for anthropologists; there are many more!
- Archaeological Consultancy
- Business Management Consultant
- Community Services Manager
- Educator (multiple types & levels)
- Entrepreneur
- Environmental Research & Investigation
- Epidemiology
- Filmmaker / Actor
- Foreign Service or Refugee Service Officer
- Government Policy & Management
- Government Representative
- Heritage & Tourism Management
- Human Resources
- International Business Advisor
- Lawyer, Court Officer
- Marketing & Marketing Research
- Museum / Art Gallery Curator and Director
- Non-profit Agencies of all types
- Parks and Recreations
- Police, Criminal Justice, Forensics
- Public Health Service & Policy
- Public Relations Specialist
- Research Analyst (Government & Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
- Scholarly & Popular Press Editor
- Social Worker
- Writer (Fiction, Non-fiction, Journalism)