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Career profile Anthropology Professor

Also known as Adjunct Instructor, Anthropology Instructor, Anthropology Professor, Archaeology Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Cultural Anthropology Professor, Instructor, Lecturer, Professor

Anthropology Professor

Also known as Adjunct Instructor, Anthropology Instructor, Anthropology Professor

Interests Profile
  • Social
  • Investigative
  • Artistic
Pay Range
$51,580 - $162,640 (annual)
Required Skills
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Learning Strategies
Knowledge Areas
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • History and Archeology
  • Education and Training
Core tasks
  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in scholarly journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, giving presentations at conferences, and serving on committees in professional associations.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as anatomy, therapeutic recreation, and conditioning theory.
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What does an Anthropology Professor do?

Anthropology Professors teach courses in anthropology or archeology.

In addition, Anthropology Professors includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

What kind of tasks does an Anthropology Professor perform regularly?

Anthropology Professors are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in scholarly journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, giving presentations at conferences, and serving on committees in professional associations.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as anatomy, therapeutic recreation, and conditioning theory.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, papers, and oral presentations.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, or handouts.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations or assign this work to others.
  • Advise students on academic and vocational curricula, and on career issues.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  • Supervise students' laboratory or field work.
  • Write grant proposals to procure external research funding and review others' grant proposals.
  • Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
  • Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
  • Write letters of recommendation for students.
  • Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
  • Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks and performance pieces.
  • Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department heads.
  • Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
  • Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
  • Review manuscripts for publication in books and professional journals.
  • Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
  • Participate in campus and community events.

The above responsibilities are specific to Anthropology Professors. More generally, Anthropology Professors are involved in several broader types of activities:

Training and Teaching Others
Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
Documenting/Recording Information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
Working with Computers
Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

What is an Anthropology Professor salary?

The median salary for an Anthropology Professor is $89,220, and the average salary is $98,740. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Anthropology Professor salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Anthropology Professors earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Anthropology Professors earn less than $51,580 per year, 25% earn less than $66,660, 75% earn less than $120,090, and 90% earn less than $162,640.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Anthropology Professors is expected to change by 7.5%, and there should be roughly 700 open positions for Anthropology Professors every year.

Median annual salary
$89,220
Typical salary range
$51,580 - $162,640
Projected growth (2020 - 2030)
7.5%

What personality traits are common among Anthropology Professors?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as an Anthropology Professor are usually higher in their Social and Investigative interests.

Anthropology Professors typically have very strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Also, Anthropology Professors typically have strong Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as an Anthropology Professor tend to value Independence, Working Conditions, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Anthropology Professors very strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Second, Anthropology Professors very strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Lastly, Anthropology Professors very strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Anthropology Professors must consistently demonstrate qualities such as analytical thinking, integrity, and initiative.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Anthropology Professors, ranked by importance:

Analytical Thinking
Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Initiative
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Persistence
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Self-Control
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

What education and training do Anthropology Professors need?

Many Anthropology Professors have earned a graduate degree. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D..

Anthropology Professors may need some on-the-job training, but most candidates will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Educational degrees among Anthropology Professors

  • 0.6% did not complete high school or secondary school
  • 1.4% completed high school or secondary school
  • 2.0% completed some college coursework
  • 1.8% earned a Associate's degree
  • 14.6% earned a Bachelor's degree
  • 32.1% earned a Master's degree
  • 47.4% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Anthropology Professors

Anthropology Professors may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as sociology and anthropology, history and archeology, or education and training knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Anthropology Professors might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Sociology and Anthropology
Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
History and Archeology
Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Geography
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.
Foreign Language
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.

Important Abilities needed by Anthropology Professors

Anthropology Professors must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Anthropology Professors need abilities such as oral expression, speech clarity, and oral comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Anthropology Professors, ranked by their relative importance.

Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Clarity
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Critical Skills needed by Anthropology Professors

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Anthropology Professors frequently use skills like speaking, reading comprehension, and learning strategies to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Anthropology Professors, ranked by their relative importance.

Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.