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Anthropology (BA)
Experience and Career Guide

Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you and learning about the many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world. There are so many opportunities to learn, lead, and embrace new opportunities all while having an exceptional student experience.

In this Guide

Learn the many ways you can extend your classroom experience to the real world.

Year-to-Year Academic Experience Co-Curricular Opportunities Knowledge and Skills Career Options and Graduate Outcomes

Your Year-to-Year Experience

Enhance your academic experience by learning about the opportunities available in your program.

Explore Co-Curricular Experiences

Participate in co-curricular experiences to complement your Laurier
academic journey and gain meaningful learning opportunities.

As an Anthropology student, you can: 

  • Join student clubs such as the Anthropology Students’ Association (AnSA) and build leadership skills through joining an executive team.
  • In your third and fourth year, you can apply for the opportunity to work as an Instructional Assistant for a first-year Anthropology course, gaining valuable work experience in facilitating group discussions, explaining concepts to students, and providing feedback on assignments.

Outside of your program, there are many co-curricular opportunities for you to participate in. 

Design Your Degree

These are a few popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge. See undergraduate options, minors and courses for more information.
  • Applied Social Research option
  • Intercultural Understanding option
  • Practical Ethics and Society option

Complete your degree in combination with any Faculty of Arts program such as Women & Gender Studies, Global Studies, Archaeology, Sociology and Cultural Studies.

Develop Your Knowledge and Skills

As a Laurier student, you will develop the following competencies through your curricular and co-curricular experiences.

Competency Framework

Competencies are categories of transferrable skills that appear on your online Experience Record to help you reflect on what you've learned from your experiences. The competencies include: 

  • Adaptability and Resiliency
  • Collaboration and Teamwork
  • Communication
  • Creativity and Innovation
  • Critical Thinking
  • Digital Literacy
  • Diversity and Intercultural Understanding
  • Functional Knowledge
  • Leadership
  • Problem Solving
  • Professional Attributes
  • Self-Awareness

Functional Knowledge

The functional knowledge you will develop in your program will help you:

  • ​​​​Demonstrate a holistic understanding of societal and cultural processes and situate past and present cultural issues both at the local and global levels.
  • ​Identify, contrast and compare theoretical positions in anthropology, recognizing the provisional status of knowledge, and build connections between anthropological schools of thought and other disciplinary perspectives.
  • ​Employ a cross-cultural approach to social, political, economic and religious issues and advocate for cultural diversity and
    Indigenous knowledge.
  • ​Identify and explain the role of power and social inequities in shaping people’s lives.
  • ​Manage cross-cultural sensitivity in creating bridges between societies or different social groups who do not share similar worldviews, while being mindful of the limits of one’s agency.
  • ​Identify, evaluate and employ appropriate qualitative research methodologies and ethical practices.
  • ​Develop self-awareness and ethnographic research skills by pursuing your own fieldwork research project.
  • Assess, prioritize and strategically apply anthropological skills and knowledge in diverse life situations.

Discover Career Options

All your experiences at Laurier can help you prepare for your future. Attend Career Centre events and workshops or book a career consulting appointment to explore career and further education options.
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Pursuing Further Education
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Employed
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Other

Respondents from the 2022 Laurier Graduate Survey conducted by the Career Centre. Graduates were surveyed within 12 months of graduation.

Alumni Careers and Pathways

Sample Further Education Programs Within the First Year After Graduation

  • Master’s Degree – International Relations and Cultural Diplomacy, Library and Museum Studies, Social Justice
  • College Programs – International Development, Museum Management, Marketing & Advertising, Addictions & Mental Health, Human Resources

Sample Jobs Within the First Year After Graduation

  • account executive and project manager
  • community service coordinator
  • English language conversation assistant
  • field technician
  • intake specialist
  • social media coordinator

Careers Of Alumni Two to Five Years After Graduation

  • account strategist
  • ethnographer
  • Indigenous special projects coordinator
  • international travel consultant
  • lawyer
  • museum curator
  • talent acquisitions coordinator
  • urban planner

Career Options and Resources

Need some guidance on what you can do with your degree? Discover some career options and find resources to help guide you. 

Career and Industry Options

  • archaeology
  • advertising/marketing
  • business/corporate development
  • communications/public relations
  • counselling/social work
  • cultural heritage/tourism
  • digital media/social media
  • economic development
  • education/teaching
  • historical education
  • human resources
  • immigration
  • international relations
  • journalism/media
  • library/archives/museum
  • non-profit/advocacy
  • politics
  • research
  • social policy
  • urban planning/development

Career Resources

What Our Graduates Are Saying

Learn what Anthropology alumni are doing now, and what they thought about the program:

Your Experiences Tell Your Story

Share your story through your Laurier Experience Record. An interactive, shareable and official record of your hands-on experiences and learning opportunities at Laurier – the first of its kind in Canada!



Share Your Feedback

We'd love to hear from you. Complete the Laurier Experience Guide Feedback Survey to share your thoughts.