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Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeModerate pressure

What they do

Teach courses in anthropology or archeology. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Kinds of work

  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $99,650 Median per year Most earn $57,840–$171,310

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Conduct ethnographic field research.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Supervise students' laboratory or field work.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.

Job outlook

United States
3% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 400 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools87.7%
  • Junior colleges11.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

This isn't an entry-level job. Most people need a doctoral degree and about 1 to 2 years of related work, often as a postdoc or part-time lecturer, so plan on roughly 10 to 14 years of school and early work after high school.

  1. Bachelor's degree in anthropology or archaeology

    4 years

    You learn the main subjects (cultures, human evolution, archaeological methods) and build a base for graduate study. Strong grades and a research project help you get into PhD programs.

  2. Doctoral degree (PhD) in anthropology or archaeology

    4-6 years

    You take advanced courses, do original field or lab research, and write a dissertation. This degree is the usual requirement for teaching at the college level.

  3. Postdoctoral Researcher or Visiting Lecturer

    1-2 years

    You teach or do research on a short-term contract while publishing your work and building a record of teaching. This is the experience most colleges look for before hiring you full time.

  4. Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary

    Ongoing

    You teach anthropology or archaeology courses at a college or university, often mixing teaching with research and publishing.

Where it can lead

  1. Associate Professor of Anthropology

    5-7 years as an Assistant Professor of experience first

    After earning tenure, you take on more responsibility for research, graduate students, and department committees, with a stronger publishing record.

  2. Professor of Anthropology

    5-10 years as an Associate Professor of experience first

    Full professors lead major research projects, mentor other faculty, and often guide the direction of the whole department.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take social studies, world history, and EnglishThese classes build the reading, writing, and big-picture thinking that anthropology relies on.
  • Take biology or earth scienceHuman evolution and archaeology both draw on biology, geology, and science methods.
  • Join a history, science, or debate clubClubs help you practice researching topics, presenting ideas, and discussing different cultures.
  • Visit local museums and historical sitesVolunteering or touring a museum or historic site shows you how archaeologists and anthropologists work with artifacts and communities.
  • Get a part-time job at a library or museumWorking with collections, archives, or research materials builds organization skills and familiarity with research.

In college

  • Major in anthropology or archaeologyYour core courses build the foundation you need for graduate school in this field.
  • Work as a research assistant for a professorHelping with data, lab work, or fieldwork gives you research experience that graduate programs look for.
  • Apply for a field school or summer digMany colleges offer hands-on archaeology or ethnography fieldwork, which builds practical skills and a useful reference.
  • Become a tutor or teaching assistantHelping other students explain ideas is a direct way to practice the teaching side of this career.
  • Learn a research tool like statistics, GIS mapping, or a research languageThese skills are used in many anthropology projects and make you a stronger candidate for graduate study.

Tips for getting started

  • Get hands-on research experience early, such as assisting a professor, joining a field school, or working in a museum lab. Graduate programs and future employers care about this more than grades alone.
  • Learn to teach before you need to. Tutoring, leading study groups, or being a teaching assistant builds the skills colleges look for when hiring.
  • Pay attention to the job market in your field. Many positions are competitive, so keep your options open and build skills that are useful beyond academia, like writing, data analysis, or GIS mapping.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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