How Do I Start a Career in Historical Anthropology?

Historical anthropologists are professionals who study how humans came into being and how their cultures developed by examining relevant records. A person who is interested in assuming this type of role should complete four years of training beyond high school in historical anthropology. He or she also needs to consider completing an additional two to seven years of training to increase his or her job opportunities in this line of work.

If you wish to start a career in this area, you have to complete at least a four-year bachelor’s degree in anthropology. This is sufficient to make you eligible for entry-level industry roles such as those of a writer or research assistant. To get into a training program in historical anthropology, you need to fill out your chosen school’s enrollment application as well as submit your most recent standardized exam results. Turning in your high school transcript along with your high school diploma or the equivalent certification also is necessary to begin training in this subject area.

Mastering courses on human origins is important to thrive in this job field. Your historical anthropology classes cover how anthropologists, people who study how humans behave and initially developed, learn about human histories via records that explain past cultures. You should learn about the human rituals and traditions that have influenced people’s current behaviors and activities, for example. In addition, completing a research internship at sites such as museums or even universities gives you practical experience in this vocational area.

Although a four-year degree is required to claim beginning roles in this industry, completing a two-year master’s degree increases your initial employment opportunities. Enrollment in this type of training program involves turning in your bachelor’s degree program transcript and completing the institution’s admission form. You also might have to submit scores from your graduate school admission test before being accepted. During your historical anthropology graduate school program, you should cover human origin topics in a more in-depth manner and plan to complete a major research project prior to graduation.

Earning a doctoral degree further expands your chances of entering a job in this career area. This type of degree program typically lasts four years or five years and requires that you provide proof of having earned a master’s degree. You additionally need to fill out your doctoral degree program’s enrollment form, as well as submit recommendation letters from previous instructors. While in the historical anthropology program, you will spend a large amount of time completing an extensive research assignment that you later must defend in front of faculty before you can earn your degree. A doctorate makes you eligible to enter careers such as those of university-level professors.