WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
Anthropology is the study of humans and the human experience in the context of how biological, ecological, and cultural systems interact with each other. Anthropology is important environmentally because it helps societies and cultures to understand who they are, how they came to be that way, and where they may go in the future.
Environmental or Ecological Anthropology combines expertise in ecology with an understanding of the social and cultural dynamics of communities affected by policy decisions. These professionals are essential in dealing with environmental issues because cultural attitudes toward the environment are so diverse, and an understanding of cultural perspective is an essential starting point for solving global and even regional environmental problems.
WHAT ARE THE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS?
Anthropology students can expect an interdisciplinary curriculum, including environmental sciences, psychology, sociology, biology, and medicine. Students learn how to study people and how communities and organizations work. Graduate students learn in more specialized fields how to combine these perspectives and skills to solve problems.
The subject matter is broad, so undergraduates can be part of a broad liberal arts background in medicine, government, business, and law. In addition to an emphasis on history, specific courses we've seen include:
- Forensics
- Culture Studies
- Economic Anthropology
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Great Resources
on Anthropology
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- Evolution
- Medical Anthropology
- Osteology
- Foreign Languages
- Geographic Information Systems
- Human Origins and Prehistory
- Social and Cultural Behavior
- Culture Areas and Ethnic Groups
- Human Variation
- Human Ecology
- Urban Anthropology
- Ethnography
- Linguistics
- Medical Anthropology
- Human Growth and Development
- Museum Methods
Environmental Anthopolgy is not a common major or emphasis at the undergraduate or graduate level, but programs do exist - at the very least, many Anthropolgy programs offer courses in Environmental Anthopology. Please use the search engine on our home page to identify some of these universities.
CAREERS AND SALARY OUTLOOK
Anthropology graduates often work as researchers, evaluators, resource managers, and administrators. State and local governmental organizations use anthropologists in planning, research and managerial capacities; and many corporations look for anthropologists to provide new perspectives on a corporate team. Positions are also commonly available in academia and in the nonprofit sector, where identification of historically significant cultural areas can often lead to conservation of natural resources. Specific job titles we've seen include:
- Forensic Investigator
- Market Researcher
- Agricultural Extension Officer
- Museum Curator / Technician
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Career Guidance
in Ecological Anthropology
 If you aspire to solve complex environmental problems, you'll need a diverse tool-kit: David Casagrande, Ph.D. candidate in Ecological Anthropology. >>>
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- Media Specialist (film, radio, TV)
- Community Development Officer
- Park Service Supervisor/Director
- Corporate Communications Consultant
- Peace Corps Area Director
- Drug Abuse Counselor
- Personnel Manager
- Education Officer
- Rural Development Officer
- Government Research Analyst
- Insurance Claims Adjuster
- International Visitors Escort / Consultant
- Travel Consultant
The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups Anthropologists under the heading of Social Scientists. It reports that in 2002, anthropolgists and archeologists earned an average of $38,620. The Federal government reported that, in 2003, social scientists with a bachelor's degree were offered starting salaries of about $23,000 to $29,000. Those with a master's degree were offered an average of $35,519, and those with a Ph.D. degree could begin at $42,976. Those individuals with experience in addition to an advanced degree were offered around $51,508.
RELATED AREAS OF STUDY
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