Back to School: Double Majors, Minors, and Classes to Take for Anthropology Majors

It’s back to school time! So, you have decided to major in Anthropology. That’s great! But have you considered getting a double major or a minor? What about taking some related classes outside of the Anthropology department? I suggest that you consider at least one of these options. They will give you another perspective on the topics you are interested in, and you will broaden your knowledge in general. In addition, these options may make you more employable as well!

So, what double major or minor do you choose? And what classes would be helpful? Well, it all depends on what you are interested in, and what you want to do for a career. Here are some examples.

• If you are interested in Psychological Anthropology, then get another major or a minor in Psychology, or at least take some psychology classes.
• If you are interested in Economic Anthropology, then get another major or a minor in Economics, or at least take some economics classes.
• If you are interested in Political Anthropology, then get another major or a minor in Political Science, or at least take some political science classes.
• If you are interested in Medical Anthropology, then get another major or a minor in Public Health, or at least take some public health classes.
• If you are interested in Business Anthropology, then get another major or a minor in Business, or at least take some business classes.
• If you are interested in Environmental Anthropology, then get another major or a minor in Environmental Science, or at least take some environmental science classes.
• If you are interested in gender, then get another major or a minor in Gender Studies, or at least take some gender studies classes.

OK, you might be thinking, those are great examples, but they all focus on Cultural Anthropology. So, here are some examples for the other 3 subfields.

• If you are interested in Historical Archaeology, then get another major or a minor in History, or at least take some history classes.
• If you are interested in Geoarchaeology, then get another major or a minor in Geology, or at least take some geology classes.
• If you are interested in Archaeobotany, take some Botany classes.
• If you are interested in Archaeology, take some technical drawing, photography, and GIS classes.
• If you are interested in Linguistic Anthropology, then get another major or a minor in Linguistics, or at least take some linguistics classes.
• If you are interested in Physical/Biological Anthropology, take an Anatomy & Physiology class.
• If you are interested in Molecular Anthropology (the genetics aspects of Physical/Biological Anthro), then take a genetics class.
• If you are interested in Forensic Anthropology, then get another major or a minor in Forensic Science, or at least take some forensic science classes, and perhaps take an Anatomy & Physiology class as well.

Learn More

I hope this blog post gives you some ideas for double majors, minors, and other classes to take if you are an Anthropology major! If you want to learn more, check out this page of the American Anthropological Association’s website.

Thanks for reading!