Undergraduate Study

The Field and Career Paths

Anthropology, as the intensive study of human diversity across time and space, is a field that is both eclectic and rigorous. Methods deployed can include ethnography, linguistics, archaeology, and biology while topics anthropologists study are as varied as human experience (check out the department's course listings for an idea of the possibilities). Anthropology is grounded in intensive fieldwork and, as practiced at the University of Chicago, an understanding that cultural realities need to be studied, theorized, and accounted for prior to any attempts to universalize human behavior.

Students with training in anthropology are sought after by NGOs, the medical field, market research, museums, education, and government. To learn more about career paths for anthropologists, see the AAA's Careers in Anthropology.