Dartmouth College

What you'll study

The Anthropology major at Dartmouth provides a core foundation in anthropological theory, ethnographic methods and comparative perspectives across cultures, with options to concentrate coursework and projects in organisational anthropology. You will study subjects such as cultural anthropology, ethnographic field methods, the anthropology of work and organisations, political economy, economic anthropology, and the anthropology of institutions.

Typical components include:

• Core theory and history: classical and contemporary theoretical approaches in social and cultural anthropology.
• Ethnographic methods: training in participant observation, interviewing, qualitative data analysis and ethical fieldwork practice.
• Organisational topics: courses that address organisational culture, bureaucracy, leadership, workplace inequality, corporate ethnography and the anthropology of markets and professions.
• Interdisciplinary electives: options to combine anthropology with economics, psychology, sociology, management studies and information design to study organisations from multiple angles.
• Independent research and senior work: supervised fieldwork projects or theses that apply ethnographic methods to organisational settings, including internships and practicum-based learning.

Entry requirements

Admission to Dartmouth College is competitive and based on a holistic review of academic preparation and personal achievements. Successful applicants typically have a strong record across secondary-school subjects, including social sciences and humanities. Evidence of analytical writing, research potential and sustained extracurricular engagement is valued.

Specific considerations for students aiming to major in anthropology with an organisational focus include preparation in social-science coursework, competency in a second language (helpful for fieldwork), and demonstrated interest in qualitative research, community projects or workplace studies. Transfer students should show college-level coursework and faculty recommendations reflecting readiness for upper-level research.

Career prospects

Graduates with a background in organisational anthropology combine qualitative research skills, cultural insight and critical thinking, which are highly adaptable across sectors. Common career paths include:

• Human resources, organisational development and change management roles focused on culture and people strategies.
• User experience (UX) research and customer insight roles within technology, design and product teams using ethnographic methods to inform design decisions.
• Consulting and market research, where cultural analysis helps shape strategy and innovation.
• Public policy, international development and non-profit management, working on organisational capacity, community engagement and programme evaluation.
• Academic and applied research careers in anthropology, organisational studies and related social sciences.

Why study at Dartmouth College

Dartmouth offers a distinctly undergraduate-centred experience with small seminar sizes and close faculty mentoring, which is advantageous for intensive ethnographic training and supervised independent research. The college’s flexible academic calendar supports off-campus internships and fieldwork, enabling students to pursue organisational placements and practicum experiences alongside coursework.

Students benefit from interdisciplinary connections across departments and professional schools, access to campus resources for research funding and fieldwork, and opportunities to engage with local, national and international organisations for applied projects. These features make Dartmouth a strong environment for students wanting to apply anthropological methods to real-world organisational challenges.