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Liberal Arts Advisement & Careers

Anthropology

Engaging in the Major

As an anthropology major, you’ll deepen your understanding of human cultures, histories, and ways of life while building strong analytical, research, and communication skills. Whether you pursue the Cultural Anthropology emphasis or the Archaeology emphasis, your coursework is enriched by opportunities for fieldwork, lab experience, research projects, community engagement, and close mentoring with faculty. As you advance in the major, we encourage you to take advantage of these hands-on learning experiences to develop expertise in your chosen emphasis and connect anthropological perspectives to real-world questions and future career goals.

Resources for Engaging
Competencies & Careers
Course Progression
Funding & Internships
Campus Resources

Competencies and Careers

Students in the Anthropology program can expect to develop strong Communication, Critical Thinking, and Cultural Navigation competencies. Want to know more about these professional competencies?
Career Readiness

Common Career Fields
Archaeologists work in a variety of places, from national parks and historic sites to museums, universities, and even private companies. Some help protect cultural sites through government or tribal agencies, while others work in cultural resource management (CRM), often alongside engineers and environmental teams. You can also choose to work independently as a consultant or even start your own archaeology-focused business.
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Meet with your Advisor or Career Director!
Would you like to know more about the program to see if it’s a good fit for your goals? Would you like to know more about your career options? Do you have a career option in mind but you’d like resources to help you chart a path toward that goal? Come meet with your Academic and Professional Development Manager, Matt Armstrong, or your Career Director, Amanda Peterson!
Contact the Liberal Arts Advisement Center to set up an appointment!

Recommended Course Progression

Course Order:

  • Get info from Mike
  • To see which classes are being offered for the next year, click here
  • Keep an eye on when field schools are being held. Remember, you can do more than one field school!
  • See here a list of upcoming field school experiences

Course Substitutions and Waivers
If you need a course substitution, please fill out this form

Grad Plans
If you would like help creating a grad plan, consider meeting with an undergraduate specialist at the Liberal Arts Advisement Center.

Funding and Internships

Should I do an internship?
Internships are encouraged! They vary widely, based on students’ career path of choice! If you are curious about which internship options are a good fit for you, reach out to your academic and professional development manager, Matt Armstrong or career director, Amanda Peterson.

Resources to find internships:

Funding for Internships
For information on funding sources, visit https://anthropology.byu.edu/funding

Campus Resources

  • Pre-Professional Advisement: For pre-med or pre-law resources, contact the Pre-Professional Advisement Center.
  • Handshake Internship and Job Board: To search internships and jobs that match your interests and skills, use Handshake.
  • Kennedy Center: For International Study programs and funding, contact the BYU Kennedy Center.
  • Career Director: To get help connecting to employers and alumni, meet with Amanda Peterson.
  • Course descriptions and offerings: To check out which classes will be offered in the upcoming semester, use the BYU Class Search.

Getting Involved

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Anthropology Student Association

Join this Association!
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BYU Emerging Museum Professionals Association

Join this Association!
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Anthropology - Archaeology Emphasis Card.jpg

Follow the Department on Instagram

@byuanthropology
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FAQ's

  • Anthropology pairs well with many minors, depending on your career goals. Some common minors are History, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Geospatial Science & Technology, or Art History & Curatorial Studies. You can check out all of the minors BYU offers in the BYU Catalog.

  • Checkout the tips written in this article by Department Chair Mike Searcy:
    Improve Your Employability

  • If it is an AIP hold, please meet with your academic and professional development manager, Matt Armstrong, to get that hold removed. Contact the Liberal Arts Advisement Center to set up an appointment with him:
    Liberal Arts Advisement Center

Links

Exploring the Major
Engaging in the Major
Looking Forward
FAQs