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Career Details

19-3091.00 - Anthropologists and Archeologists


Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
7,700
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
8,000
Estimate
Change in Employment
300.0
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+3.8%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Study objects and structures recovered by excavation to identify, date, and authenticate them and to interpret their significance.
  • Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.
  • Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions.
  • Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.
  • Describe artifacts' physical properties or attributes, such as the materials from which artifacts are made and their size, shape, function, and decoration.
  • Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations.
  • Compare findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences.
  • Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary.
  • Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection.
  • Gather and analyze artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures.
  • Collect artifacts made of stone, bone, metal, and other materials, placing them in bags and marking them to show where they were found.
  • Identify culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities, in collaboration with medical and public health officials.
  • Consult site reports, existing artifacts, and topographic maps to identify archeological sites.
  • Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning.
  • Advise government agencies, private organizations, and communities regarding proposed programs, plans, and policies and their potential impacts on cultural institutions, organizations, and communities.
  • Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings.
  • Develop intervention procedures, using techniques such as individual and focus group interviews, consultations, and participant observation of social interaction.
  • Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures.
  • Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods.
  • Collaborate with economic development planners to decide on the implementation of proposed development policies, plans, and programs based on culturally institutionalized barriers and facilitating circumstances.
  • Clean, restore, and preserve artifacts.
  • Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments.
  • Organize public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions.
  • Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions.
  • Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns.
  • Apply traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement.
  • Enhance the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers.
  • Participate in forensic activities, such as tooth and bone structure identification, in conjunction with police departments and pathologists.
Generic
  • Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.
  • Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Sociology and Anthropology
  • 96%
    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 History and Archeology
  • 92%
    Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
 English Language
  • 88%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Geography
  • 75%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
 Education and Training
  • 73%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Foreign Language
  • 72%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 68%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Mathematics
  • 61%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Communications and Media
  • 59%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 Biology
  • 59%
    Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
 Philosophy and Theology
  • 58%
    Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
 Clerical
  • 57%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Administration and Management
  • 56%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Law and Government
  • 51%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Psychology
  • 50%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Cameras
  • 35 millimeter cameras
  • Digital cameras
  • Digital video cameras
  • Underwater digital cameras
  • Underwater still cameras
 Land surveying instruments
  • Alidades
  • Theodolites
  • Total stations
 Weight measuring instruments
  • Bench scales
  • Electronic topload scales
  • Laboratory balances
  • Laboratory precision balances
  • Platform scales
  • Triple beam balances
 Viewing and observing instruments and accessories
  • Binoculars
  • Electron microprobes
  • Electron microscopes
  • Laboratory binocular microscopes
  • Metallurgical microscopes
  • Oil immersion microscopes
  • Petrographic microscopes
  • Pocket loupes
  • Polarizing microscopes
  • Scanning electron microscopes SEM
  • Stereo zoom microscopes
 Electrochemical measuring instruments and accessories
  • Conductance meters
  • Conductivity probes
  • pH indicators
  • Selective ion meters
 Laboratory centrifuges and accessories
  • Countertop centrifuges
  • Microcentrifuges
  • Ultracentrifuges
 Forming tools
  • Crack hammers
  • Rock picks
 Clinical and diagnostic analyzers and accessories and supplies
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA analyzers
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA sequencers
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Personal computers
  • Personal digital assistants PDA
  • Tablet computers
 Length and thickness and distance measuring instruments
  • Dial calipers
  • Digital calipers
  • Mandibulometers
  • Precision rulers
  • Sliding calipers
  • Spreading calipers
  • Vernier calipers
 Audio and visual equipment
  • Digital audio recorders
  • External lavalier microphones
  • Global positioning system GPS receivers
 Measuring and layout tools
  • Digital levels
  • Laser line levels
  • Lufkin tape measures
  • Plumb bobs
 Computer data input devices
  • Digitizers
  • Flatbed scanners
  • Laser scanners
  • Slide scanners
 Geophysical and geotechnical instruments
  • Directional compasses
  • Electrical resistivity instruments
  • Geophysical magnetometers
 Laboratory ovens and accessories
  • Drying ovens
  • Laboratory vacuum ovens
 Laboratory heating and drying equipment
  • Drying racks
  • Hot stir plates
  • Laboratory vacuum dryers
  • Polymerase chain reaction PCR thermocyclers
  • Thermal cyclers
 Chemical evaluation instruments and supplies
  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ELISA plate readers
  • Luminescence readers
 Darkroom supplies
  • Film processors
 Agriculture, forestry and garden handtools
  • Flat-ended shovels
  • Round point shovels
  • Shovels
 Spectroscopic equipment
  • Fluorometers
  • Inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopes ICP-ES
  • Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopes ICP-MS
  • Portable gamma spectrometers
  • Spectrophotometers
  • X ray fluorescence XRF spectrometers
 Specialized and recreational vehicles
  • Four wheel drive 4WD vehicles
 Laboratory enclosures and accessories
  • Fume hoods
  • Laboratory fume hoods
  • Polymerase chain reaction PCR hoods
 Laboratory electrophoresis and blotting system and supplies
  • Gel electrophoresis boxes
  • Ultraviolet UV crosslinkers
  • Ultraviolet UV transilluminators
 Laboratory sieves and sifting equipment and supplies
  • Graded sieves
  • Mesh sifting screens
  • Shaker screens
  • Water screening devices
 Radar and sonar systems and components
  • Ground penetrating radar GPR
  • Remote sensing equipment
 Chromatographic measuring instruments and accessories
  • High pressure liquid chromatograph HPLC equipment
 Non destructive examination equipment
  • High resolution industrial computed tomography CT scanners
  • Industrial micro computed tomography CT scanners
  • Portable x ray machines
  • X ray cabinets
 Pipettes and liquid handling equipment and supplies
  • Laboratory dropping pipettes
  • Liquid handling robots
 Laboratory cooling equipment
  • Laboratory refrigerators
 Laboratory implements
  • Laboratory scalpels
 Laboratory water purification equipment and supplies
  • Laboratory water purification systems
 Masonry and concrete tools
  • Marshalltown trowels
  • Plains trowels
 Pneumatic tools
  • Pneumatic airscribes
  • Pneumatic chisels
  • Sandblasters
 Power tools
  • Precision saws
  • Thin section saws
 Safety apparel
  • Protective gloves
 Scuba and snorkeling gear
  • Scuba diving equipment
 Soil measuring equipment
  • Soil probes
  • Soil samplers
 Typing machines and accessories
  • Transcription equipment
 Forestry machinery and equipment
  • Tree ring sampling kits
 Crystallography equipment
  • X ray diffractometers
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Content management software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe AcrobatHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Adobe Systems Adobe IllustratorHOT
  • Adobe Systems Adobe InDesignHOT
  • Adobe Systems Adobe PageMaker
  • Adobe Systems Adobe PhotoshopHOT
  • Apple Final Cut Express
  • Apple iMovie
  • FacebookHOT
  • GE Healthcare ImageQuant TL
  • Graphics software
  • Image enhancement software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft FrontPage
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft Windows Movie Maker
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Sony Creative Software Vegas Movie Studio
  • Word processing software
 Industry specific software
  • Age progression software
  • Applied Biosystems GeneMapper
  • Autodesk AutoCADHOT
  • Data visualization software
  • Gene Codes Sequencher
  • IBM SPSS StatisticsHOT
  • Insightful S-PLUS
  • Qaulis Research The Ethonograph
  • SASHOT
  • SIL International The Linguist's Shoebox
  • STATISTICA
  • Systat
  • The MathWorks MATLABHOT
  • The University of Tennessee FORDISC
  • Wolfram Research Mathematica
 Data management and query software
  • Archeological Sites Management Information System ASMIS
  • Automated National Catalog System ANCS
  • Genealogy software
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
  • Structured query language SQLHOT
 Development software
  • C++HOT
  • Software development tools
 Information exchange software
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareHOT
  • ESRI ArcInfo
  • ESRI ArcView
  • Geographic information system GIS softwareHOT
  • Golden Software Surfer
  • Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE
  • Microsoft OutlookHOT
  • Trimble Pathfinder Office
 Network applications software
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Web browser software
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Microsoft SharePointHOT
 Utility and device driver software
  • Voice activated software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Brightpoint Community College
Eastern Shore Community College
Germanna Community College
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Laurel Ridge Community College
Mountain Gateway Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Rappahannock Community College
Southside Virginia Community College
Tidewater Community College
Virginia Peninsula Community College
Virginia Western Community College
Wytheville Community College