Anthropology Careers
At UCL, anthropology students learn how to think differently and critically about their own society and positionality in the world.
What can I do with an anthropology degree?
Graduates in social science subjects offer a wide range of skills that are enormously valuable to employers across the public, private and third sectors. This includes their discipline-specific knowledge, critical analysis, problem solving, writing skills, interpersonal communication, and qualitative and quantitative research skills.
As reflective thinkers, anthropology graduates in particular bring their ability to question assumptions, understand complex issues holistically, on individual and cultural and societal levels, as well as understand people, institutions and their relationships to the employment arena. These skills are transferrable to a broad range of careers including teaching, social work, the civil service, the ‘not for profit’ sector and development, as well as advertising, the arts, museum curation, media, market research and business.
What does anthropology teach you to do?
- See the world differently – a whole new way of thinking
- Understand things from other people’s points of view
- Translate between different communities and groups
- Create original insights about human behaviour and motivation
- Manage and make sense of social complexity
- Transform the world in socially and ethically responsible ways
What kind of jobs does this equip you for?
- Jobs which demand a capacity to think independently
- Jobs that deal with complex and difficult data
- Jobs which demand that you understand other points of view empathetically
- Jobs which require you to analyse data and information critically
What can I do with an anthropology degree?
UCL Anthropology Careers Support
- Departmental Careers Tutor Weekly drop-in/office hours
- Online information repository specifically for anthropology students
- Anthropology in the Professional World Seminar Series
- Alumni networking events
I feel confident that I have the skills I need for the future as well as broadening my worldview. As well as this everyone is so friendly and close as a department so there's always someone to talk to and rely on.
Central UCL Careers Support
- Dedicated Careers Liaison for Anthropology
- UCL Careers Liaison workshops – CV writing, internships, finding a job
- 1:1 sessions with Careers Service during degree and after graduation
- Interactive Sessions – Mock aptitude tests, personality profiling, using LinkedIn
- Talent Bank
- Global Internship Programmes
- Global Citizenship Employability
- Careers Essential Talks, Workshops and E-Learning (succeeding at interviews, writing successful applications)
Sally Brown, careers consultant at UCL Careers, has worked with the Anthropology department for several years and walks you through the careers services we offer.
I love being at UCL because I feel so surrounded by famous history and artifacts, while maintaining connection to such an international community in the world. In the future, I’d like to work in diplomacy or international law, but I’m equally passionate about gaining experience in a history, journalism, or media studies background.
Our LinkedIn Hub
Follow us on LinkedIn to learn the necessity and inventiveness of anthropology. Stay up to speed with the various pursuits of our alumni outside of academia and the latest developments in the field.