A Brief Look at Earning Online Anthropology Certificates

A Brief Look at Earning Online Anthropology Certificates
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Online Anthropology Courses

Interested in understanding how and in what manner human life has evolved? Do you want to explore human behavior through the ages and in different cultures? Are you curious how diet, customs, and social interactions have affected human development from ancient to modern times? Do you want to know how languages evolved and in what context? If you find these topics fascinating, perhaps anthropology is the course for you.

Online anthropology certificates can prepare you for interesting and varied careers in anthropology fieldwork, museums, cultural outreach, international trade, corporate research, teaching, writing, and much more. It all depends on where your interests lie and how you manage your career goals.

Modern anthropology is actually comprised of four subfields: sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archeology, and biological anthropology. Here are some of the topics you can expect to study in anthropology:

  • Biology
  • Paleontology
  • Archeology
  • Ethnography
  • Forensics
  • Linguistics
  • Subsistence and Nutrition
  • Heredity, Evolution and Society
  • Sex, Gender and Society
  • Environmental Conflict and Social Change
  • Politics and Economics
  • Art, Music and Sport
  • Science, Technology and Society

Some Tips for Getting an Online Certificate

Online anthropology certificates are an excellent choice for people whose personal and professional commitments would not otherwise allow them to purse their interest in this career field. By getting their education through the online medium, they can study at their convenience, interact with instructors and peers through online media, and pick up current technological and social media skills in the process. It is important, however, to pick the right and accredited online institute. Here are some tips:

  • Research colleges offering certificate courses in Anthropology.
  • Find out about eligibility criteria and admission requirements.
  • Find out about fee requirements and availability of financial aid.
  • Find about computer requirements and instruction methods.
  • Find out about course topics, materials, and projects.
  • Prepare an admission application and submit it before the deadline.

An Online Anthropology Program

Here’s a school offering a certificate in anthropology:

Florida International University

Florida International University offers a fully online undergraduate certificate in African diaspora studies.

This course takes a look at the people from the Sub-Sahara and the African Diaspora. You need fifteen credits to get this fully online certificate. Study topics include:

  • The African Diaspora and the Atlantic Slave Trade
  • Africa and Africans in Films
  • Anthropology of Race and Ethnicity
  • African Civilization
  • Religions of the Caribbean
  • Literature of the Harlem Renaissance
  • African Visual Arts
  • African American History

Students from all fields are eligible for this certificate program. Tuition is $281.65 for Florida residents and $480.08 for non-residents. In addition, Florida residents are required to pay $66.33 for one credit, $132.66 for two credits, and $199.00 each for three, four and five credits. To enroll, please visit the college website and complete the certificate application form.

Career Prospects

After you get your online certificate in anthropology, you can choose to study further for a graduate degree. This is advisable as graduate degree holders generally have more work opportunities and higher earning potential than non-degree holders.

Career prospects for anthropologists are good, and, according to the statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor, there is likely to be a 15% increase in anthropology jobs in the next decade. As an anthropologist, as already mentioned, you can work in a variety of different fields. You can study and teach human culture and history, both ancient and modern. You can smooth over cultural disparities and act as a mediator in cultural disputes. You may work in forensics and study and identify human remains in archaeological sites. You may serve as a consultant in the government or in the corporate world and advise in cultural matters as related to the economy. There is really a very wide scope of opportunities.

Earning depends on job type, position, experience, skills and location. In 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor reported the mean annual salary of anthropologists as being $57,300. Thus, earning online anthropology certificates is a great option for those interested in the field.

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