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Occupation AtlasAnthropologists and Archeologists

O*NET · 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.

Also called American Indian Policy Specialist · Anthropologist · Applied Anthropologist · Applied Cultural Anthropologist · Archaeological Field Technician · Archaeological Technician (Archeological Tech) · Archaeologist · Archeological Tech
21 more

Archeologist · Communication and Folklore Specialist · Cultural Resources Specialist · Cultural Resources Technician · Egyptologist · Ethnoarchaeologist · Ethnologist · Excavator · Field Archaeologist · Forensic Anthropologist · Historical Archaeologist · Investigator · Medical Anthropologist · Physical Anthropologist · Policy Specialist · Political Anthropologist · Project Archaeologist · Public Policy Specialist · Research Anthropologist · Research Archaeologist · Researcher

Job Zone 5 — Extensive Preparation NeededHolland code IAR35 skills on file

Compare with another occupationCompare with Geography Teachers, Postsecondary

Job Zone

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Zone 5: Extensive Preparation Needed

Extensive preparation. Usually a graduate degree, with extensive skill, knowledge and experience — many of these occupations expect more than five years of experience.

Job Zone is O*NET's rating of how much education, experience and training an occupation typically needs — a property of the work, not of anyone doing it.

Occupational interest profile

IARInvestigative · Artistic · Realistic — the three strongest interests, in order

  • I Investigative6.84
  • A Artistic4.21
  • R Realistic3.99
  • S Social3.67
  • C Conventional3.19
  • E Enterprising1.63

RIASEC (Holland) interests on O*NET's 0–7 scale: what the work draws on, not what any individual prefers. Hover a row for what each dimension means.

Education and experience

The education level respondents say the job requires, and the most common answer for experience and training.

  • Some College Courses5%
  • Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree5%
  • Bachelor's Degree20%
  • Master's Degree30%
  • Doctoral Degree40%
Related work experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (35%)
On-site or in-plant training
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (30%)
On-the-job training
None or short demonstration (20%)

Typically associated skills

All 35 O*NET skills, most important first. Importance (1–5) says how much a skill matters here; level (0–7) says how much of it the work calls for, with O*NET's example of a nearby level. Neither is a proficiency rating of a person.

  • Writingbasic4.35.0Level 4 looks like: Write an email to staff outlining new directives
  • Speakingbasic4.34.8Level 4 looks like: Interview applicants to obtain personal and work history
  • Reading Comprehensionbasic4.15.0Level 4 looks like: Understand an email from management describing new personnel policies
  • Critical Thinkingbasic4.14.8Level 4 looks like: Evaluate customer complaints and determine appropriate responses
  • Active Listeningbasic4.14.4Level 4 looks like: Answer inquiries regarding credit references
  • Active Learningbasic3.94.3Level 4 looks like: Determine the impact of new menu changes on a restaurant's purchasing requirements
  • Complex Problem Solving3.83.9Level 4 looks like: Redesign a floor layout to take advantage of new manufacturing techniques
  • Monitoringbasic3.53.6Level 4 looks like: Monitor a meeting and revise the agenda to ensure important topics are discussed
  • Learning Strategiesbasic3.43.9Level 4 looks like: Identify an alternative approach to help trainees who are having difficulties
  • Instructing3.33.6Level 4 looks like: Instruct a coworker in how to operate a software program
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.33.6Level 4 looks like: Evaluate a loan application for degree of risk
  • Social Perceptiveness3.13.4Level 4 looks like: Be aware of how a coworker's promotion will affect a work group
Show the other 23

Tasks

20 core · 10 supplemental

What people in this occupation do, as O*NET records it, core tasks first by importance (1–5).

  1. Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.4.6
  2. Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.4.4
  3. Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.4.4
  4. 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.4.3
  5. Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning.4.0
  6. Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings.4.0
  7. 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.3.9
  8. 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.3.8
  9. Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods.3.7
  10. Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures.3.6
  11. Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments.3.6
  12. Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions.3.5
Show the other 18
  1. Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research.3.5
  2. Advise government agencies, private organizations, and communities regarding proposed programs, plans, and policies and their potential impacts on cultural institutions, organizations, and communities.3.4
  3. Develop intervention procedures, using techniques such as individual and focus group interviews, consultations, and participant observation of social interaction.3.4
  4. 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.3.4
  5. Organize public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions.3.4
  6. Enhance the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers.3.3
  7. Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns.3.2
  8. Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions.3.1
  9. Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary.4.1
  10. Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection.4.0
  11. Gather and analyze artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures.3.9
  12. Describe artifacts' physical properties or attributes, such as the materials from which artifacts are made and their size, shape, function, and decoration.3.7
  13. Compare findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences.3.7
  14. Collect artifacts made of stone, bone, metal, and other materials, placing them in bags and marking them to show where they were found.3.6
  15. Study objects and structures recovered by excavation to identify, date, and authenticate them and to interpret their significance.3.5
  16. Consult site reports, existing artifacts, and topographic maps to identify archeological sites.3.5
  17. Clean, restore, and preserve artifacts.3.4
  18. Participate in forensic activities, such as tooth and bone structure identification, in conjunction with police departments and pathologists.3.3

Knowledge

Bodies of knowledge the work draws on.

  • Sociology and Anthropology4.96.4Level 7 looks like: Create a new theory about the development of civilizations
  • English Language4.45.4Level 4 looks like: Edit an article for a news website
  • History and Archeology4.25.5Level 4 looks like: Teach local history to school children
  • Foreign Language4.05.0Level 4 looks like: Ask directions in a foreign city
  • Education and Training3.95.4Level 4 looks like: Lead a quality improvement seminar
  • Geography3.75.1Level 4 looks like: Find a specific country on a world map
  • Communications and Media3.44.5Level 4 looks like: Host a music radio show
  • Philosophy and Theology3.24.8Level 4 looks like: Understand another culture's religious practices
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  • Computers and Electronics3.14.2Level 4 looks like: Use a computer to format a document
  • Psychology2.93.5Level 4 looks like: Understand the impact of alcohol on human responses
  • Administration and Management2.84.0Level 4 looks like: Monitor progress of a project to ensure timely completion
  • Biology2.73.5Level 4 looks like: Investigate the effects of pollution on marine plants and animals
  • Law and Government2.73.6Level 4 looks like: Prepare documents and title papers for the purchase of a new house
  • Mathematics2.63.2Level 4 looks like: Analyze data to determine areas with the highest sales
  • Personnel and Human Resources2.63.5Level 4 looks like: Interview applicants for an administrative position
  • Administrative2.53.7Level 4 looks like: Type 30 words per minute
  • Medicine and Dentistry2.11.7Level 1 looks like: Use a band-aid
  • Design2.02.5Level 1 looks like: Draw a straight line 4 3/16 inches long
  • Fine Arts2.02.1Level 1 looks like: Attend a popular music concert
  • Public Safety and Security2.02.0Level 1 looks like: Use a seatbelt
  • Telecommunications2.01.4Level 1 looks like: Send an email
  • Customer and Personal Service1.91.9Level 1 looks like: Process a customer's dry-cleaning drop off
  • Economics and Accounting1.82.1Level 1 looks like: Answer billing questions from credit card customers
  • Therapy and Counseling1.81.8Level 1 looks like: Put ice on a sprained ankle
  • Chemistry1.72.0Level 1 looks like: Use a common household bug spray
  • Transportation1.71.5Level 1 looks like: Ride a train to work
  • Engineering and Technology1.51.1Level 1 looks like: Install a door lock
  • Production and Processing1.51.0Level 1 looks like: Put a computer back into its packing materials
  • Sales and Marketing1.51.4Level 1 looks like: Sell cakes at a bake sale
  • Mechanical1.41.0Level 1 looks like: Replace the filters in a furnace
  • Building and Construction1.30.7Level 1 looks like: Choose the proper type of wood for adding a deck onto a house
  • Physics1.30.7Level 1 looks like: Use a crowbar to pry open a box
  • Food Production1.2—

Abilities

Enduring capacities the work calls for.

  • Oral Expression4.45.1Level 6 looks like: Explain advanced principles of genetics to college freshmen
  • Written Comprehension4.45.0Level 4 looks like: Understand an apartment lease
  • Written Expression4.45.1Level 6 looks like: Write an advanced economics textbook
  • Oral Comprehension4.35.0Level 4 looks like: Understand a coach's oral instructions for a sport
  • Deductive Reasoning4.14.6Level 5 looks like: Decide what factors to consider in selecting stocks
  • Inductive Reasoning4.04.8Level 4 looks like: Determine the prime suspect based on crime scene evidence
  • Speech Clarity4.04.3Level 4 looks like: Make stadium-wide announcements during a sporting event
  • Category Flexibility3.94.1Level 3 looks like: Classify flowers according to size, color, and smell
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  • Information Ordering3.94.0Level 2 looks like: Follow the correct steps to make change
  • Flexibility of Closure3.83.9Level 4 looks like: Look for a golf ball in tall grass
  • Fluency of Ideas3.84.0Level 4 looks like: Think of as many ideas as possible for the name of a new company
  • Speech Recognition3.83.8Level 4 looks like: Identify a former customer's voice over the phone
  • Near Vision3.63.9
  • Problem Sensitivity3.43.5Level 4 looks like: Notice from a subtle difference in a client's mood that something is bothering them
  • Far Vision3.13.3Level 4 looks like: Read the slides on a presentation from across a room
  • Originality3.13.3Level 4 looks like: Redesign job tasks to be interesting for employees
  • Selective Attention3.13.1Level 4 looks like: Watch security monitors for intruders throughout the night shift
  • Visualization3.03.4Level 4 looks like: Follow a diagram to assemble a metal storage cabinet
  • Mathematical Reasoning2.92.9
  • Memorization2.92.9
  • Number Facility2.92.6Level 3 looks like: Calculate a discounted price
  • Perceptual Speed2.92.9Level 2 looks like: Sort mail according to ZIP codes with no time pressure
  • Speed of Closure2.93.0Level 3 looks like: Recognize a song after hearing only the first few notes
  • Visual Color Discrimination2.92.8
  • Time Sharing2.82.8Level 3 looks like: Watch street signs while driving at 30 miles an hour
  • Auditory Attention2.01.9Level 2 looks like: Listen to a lecture while people nearby are talking
  • Trunk Strength2.01.8Level 2 looks like: Sit up in an office chair
  • Finger Dexterity1.91.5Level 2 looks like: Put coins in a parking meter
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness1.81.4Level 2 looks like: Light a candle
  • Extent Flexibility1.81.5Level 2 looks like: Reach to adjust the radio in a car
  • Hearing Sensitivity1.81.3Level 2 looks like: Notice a doorbell ringing
  • Manual Dexterity1.81.4Level 1 looks like: Screw a light bulb into a light socket
  • Spatial Orientation1.81.0Level 2 looks like: Use the floor plan to locate a store in a mall
  • Wrist-Finger Speed1.81.4Level 2 looks like: Use a screwdriver to twist in a screw
  • Control Precision1.60.9
  • Gross Body Coordination1.60.8
  • Multilimb Coordination1.60.8
  • Static Strength1.60.9Level 1 looks like: Push an empty shopping cart
  • Depth Perception1.50.5
  • Stamina1.50.5Level 1 looks like: Walk 1/4 mile
  • Dynamic Strength1.40.5
  • Gross Body Equilibrium1.40.5
  • Explosive Strength1.3—
  • Glare Sensitivity1.3—
  • Dynamic Flexibility1.1—
  • Peripheral Vision1.1—
  • Response Orientation1.1—
  • Night Vision1.0—
  • Rate Control1.0—
  • Reaction Time1.0—
  • Sound Localization1.0—
  • Speed of Limb Movement1.0—

Work activities

Kinds of activity the work is made of.

  • Getting Information4.86.0Level 7 looks like: Study international tax laws
  • Analyzing Data or Information4.55.5Level 4 looks like: Determine the interest cost to finance a new building
  • Documenting/Recording Information4.54.6Level 4 looks like: Document the results of a crime scene investigation
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.55.5Level 4 looks like: Interpret how foreign tax laws apply to U.S. exports
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.46.0Level 7 looks like: Gain cooperation from a diverse group of executives with competing interests
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.45.2Level 4 looks like: Judge the suitability of food products for an event
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.45.6
  • Working with Computers4.43.3Level 4 looks like: Write software for keeping track of parts in inventory
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  • Processing Information4.35.9
  • Training and Teaching Others4.35.4Level 4 looks like: Teach a social sciences course to high school students
  • Thinking Creatively4.25.6
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.14.9Level 4 looks like: Report the results of a sales meeting to a supervisor
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.05.8
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.95.4Level 4 looks like: Select the location for a major retail store
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People3.85.3Level 4 looks like: Determine the value of property lost in a fire
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work3.85.4Level 4 looks like: Plan and adjust a personal to-do list according to changing demands
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies3.64.2Level 4 looks like: Develop the plan to complete the merger of two organizations over a 3-year period
  • Coaching and Developing Others3.45.0Level 4 looks like: Provide on-the-job training for administrative workers
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings3.44.3Level 4 looks like: Test electrical circuits
  • Scheduling Work and Activities3.44.5Level 4 looks like: Prepare the work schedule for salesclerks in a large retail store
  • Providing Consultation and Advice to Others3.34.8Level 4 looks like: Recommend a new software package to increase operational efficiency
  • Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others3.24.6Level 4 looks like: Organize the cleanup crew after a major sporting event
  • Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates3.24.3Level 4 looks like: Manage a small team of employees in a dynamic workplace
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public3.04.8Level 4 looks like: Sell shoes in a crowded shoe store
  • Developing and Building Teams2.93.8Level 4 looks like: Lead an assembly team in an automobile plant
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information2.93.4Level 4 looks like: Estimate the time required to evacuate a city in the event of a major disaster
  • Monitoring and Controlling Resources2.94.1Level 4 looks like: Work as a chef responsible for ordering food for the menu
  • Performing Administrative Activities2.93.9Level 4 looks like: Complete tax forms for a small business
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others2.94.6Level 4 looks like: Get two subordinates to agree about vacation schedules
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards2.63.1Level 4 looks like: Evaluate a complicated insurance claim for compliance with policy terms
  • Staffing Organizational Units2.43.5Level 4 looks like: Interview candidates for a sales position and make hiring recommendations
  • Performing General Physical Activities2.32.6
  • Selling or Influencing Others2.32.5Level 1 looks like: Convince a coworker to assist with an assignment
  • Assisting and Caring for Others2.22.3Level 1 looks like: Help a coworker complete an assignment
  • Handling and Moving Objects2.23.4Level 4 looks like: Arrange books in a library
  • Controlling Machines and Processes1.81.9Level 1 looks like: Operate a cash register
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials1.81.6Level 1 looks like: Check that doors to building are locked
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment1.71.3Level 1 looks like: Drive a car
  • Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment1.61.3Level 1 looks like: Use display settings to adjust a television picture
  • Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment1.3—
  • Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment1.30.7Level 1 looks like: Make simple, external adjustments to a door hinge with ordinary hand tools

Work context

The conditions most characteristic of the work, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale.

  • E-Mail4.7
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.5
  • Freedom to Make Decisions4.5
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.3
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.1
  • Contact With Others4.0
  • Level of Competition3.8
  • Spend Time Sitting3.8
  • Telephone Conversations3.8
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled3.7

Technology

58 tools

Software used in this work. In demand: among the tools job postings for this occupation name most. Hot: often named in job postings across the economy.

In demand (6)

  • ESRI ArcGIS softwarehot
  • Microsoft Excelhot
  • Microsoft Office softwarehot
  • Microsoft Wordhot
  • ESRI ArcGIS Survey 123
  • Geographic information system GIS systems

Hot (16; 4 more marked hot above)

  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • C++
  • Facebook
  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft SharePoint
  • Microsoft Windows
  • SAS
  • Structured query language SQL
  • The MathWorks MATLAB
Other tools (36)
  • Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Adobe PageMaker
  • Age progression software
  • Apple Final Cut Express
  • Apple iMovie
  • Applied Biosystems GeneMapper
  • Archeological Sites Management Information System ASMIS
  • Automated National Catalog System ANCS
  • Data visualization software
  • ESRI ArcInfo
  • ESRI ArcView
  • GE Healthcare ImageQuant TL
  • Gene Codes Sequencher
  • Genealogy software
  • Geographic information system GIS software
  • Global positioning system GPS software
  • Golden Software Surfer
  • Graphics software
  • Image enhancement software
  • Insightful S-PLUS
  • Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE
  • Microsoft FrontPage
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Windows Movie Maker
  • Qaulis Research The Ethonograph
  • RockWare ArcMap
  • SIL International The Linguist's Shoebox
  • Software development tools
  • Sony Creative Software Vegas Movie Studio
  • STATISTICA
  • SYSTAT
  • The University of Tennessee FORDISC
  • Trimble Pathfinder Office
  • Voice activated software
  • Web browser software
  • Wolfram Research Mathematica

Related occupations

O*NET's own list of the occupations most related to this one, closest first.

  1. Historians
  2. Sociologists
  3. Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary
  4. Geographers
  5. Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
  6. History Teachers, Postsecondary
  7. Curators
  8. Archivists
  9. Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers
  10. Social Science Research Assistants

ESCO equivalents

From the official ESCO–O*NET crosswalk, strongest match first. A broader occupation takes in this one; a narrower one is a part of it.

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. ESCO occupations and skills are from the European Commission's ESCO classification, and the occupation crosswalk is the official ESCO–O*NET mapping by the ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA. This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission. BlissPoint Analytics has modified all or some of this information: skill, task and descriptor ratings are rounded to one decimal, and ESCO occupations show Job Zone and interests copied from a crosswalked O*NET occupation. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.