Recommend
Read full review“… Anthropology provides a gateway to view many of the issues in life in a deconstructed way. I think it is highly undervalued as an academic major, because it provides more than one would expect at the beginning.”
Difficulty
Moderately challenging
Average difficultyBased on 8 students across 5 schools.View review makeup
3.3/ 5
Share of students at each rating
Class-year breakdown needs more responses.It appears after at least two class years have 5 difficulty ratings each.
What makes this major demanding?
Worth it?
100% would recommend it
Students’ starting certainty
More answers are needed before showing a percentage.
CriticalAdvice & things to know
Read full review“I wish I would have known the work is more qualitative.”
Compare majors
Compare with Anthropology
Suggested instead
Alternatives named by students who wouldn’t recommend Anthropology.
No student-suggested alternatives with enough ratings to compare yet.
Student paths
What you will study and do
Curriculum and careers
Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present, focusing on cultural, social, and biological aspects of human life. Students learn to analyze human behavior, cultural norms, and biological developments across various societies and time periods.
Core course themes
Cultural Anthropology
Explores cultural diversity, social practices, and cultural transformations across different societies.
Biological Anthropology
Examines the biological and evolutionary aspects of humans, including genetics and primatology.
Archaeology
Focuses on studying past human societies through material remains and excavation.
Linguistic Anthropology
Investigates the role of language in social life, including language development and communication.
Anthropological Theory
Provides an overview of key theoretical frameworks and debates in the field of anthropology.
Ethnographic Methods
Teaches research methods for collecting and analyzing qualitative data in fieldwork settings.
Common roles
- Cultural Anthropologist
- Archaeologist
- Museum Curator
- Academic Researcher
- Policy Analyst
Why salary figures are not shownSalary data appears only when its source, geography, occupation mapping, and date can be verified.
Anthropology by school
Scores account for sample sizePreparing school differences…
University of California-Los Angeles2 reviews
- Career outlook
- 2.8
- Enjoyment
- 3.7
- Recommend
- 100%
University of Southern California2 reviews
- Career outlook
- 2.6
- Enjoyment
- 4.1
- Recommend
- 100%
University of Virginia2 reviews
- Career outlook
- 2.4
- Enjoyment
- 3.8
- Recommend
- 100%
Emory University1 review
- Career outlook
- 2.6
- Enjoyment
- 3.9
- Recommend
- 100%
New York University1 review
- Career outlook
- 2.8
- Enjoyment
- 3.9
- Recommend
- 100%
Community
Big questions in Anthropology
Go beyond ratings and ask students about the decisions, tradeoffs, and experiences that matter to you.
Loading community questions…
Student reviews
Advice & things to knowPositive
I’m think that anthropology is incredibly useful considering the interconnected world of the 21st century and in USC in particular it’s amazing. Very writing intensive but if you took IB in high school you should be good honestly. Just do the readings and maybe combine it with a more STEM based double major like Econ (that’s what I’m doing) and you’ll be good!
Enjoyment & fitMixed
Anthropology is an interesting major if you enjoy learning about humans, from culture to evolution to politics to biology, etc. It’s a very interdisciplinary field, which makes it great for people who don’t know what they want to do and want to explore. However, unless you’re on some pre-professional track, there’s not too much you can really do with an anthro degree unless you’re into research or teaching.
Courses & teachingPositive
What changed for you when you switched from History to Anthropology?
I switched majors from History to Anthropology as I found that my interests lied more in exploring and interpreting human dynamics and cultures throughout history. My history courses felt like I was just writing essay after essay. While I did enjoy the content in history, I found that my assignments in anthropology tailored to looking at new pathways that I hadn’t considered before and personally interested me.
Switched from History
- Interested in Research & academia · Something else
Careers & next stepsPositive
Two pathways. Art and science. Science can fulfill pre-health reqs
Switched from Chemistry
Enjoyment & fitPositive
I chose anthropology because I love human stories, and would always want to see this world from an alternative, non- anthropocentric way. Perhaps it is because that I always feel human beings are just an animal form of adaptation in natural evolution. I despised many aspects in human society as a high schooler, so I want to view it from its origin through anthropological studies.
Anthropology provides a gateway to view many of the issues in life in a deconstructed way. I think it is highly undervalued as an academic major, because it provides more than one would expect at the beginning.
Advice & things to knowCritical
I wish I would have known the work is more qualitative.
- Interested in Business · Entrepreneurship +2
- Planning a master’s
Careers & next stepsMixed
The major will teach you skills that you can use to work with people in all fields.
- Interested in Education
- Planning a PhD
Courses & teachingMixed
It’s interesting to learn about the archaeology aspect.
Make the next decision
Compare the evidence—or improve it.
Put Anthropology beside another major, or share the experience future students need.