Careers and Opportunities
Our graduates go on to pursues work in a variety of fields and careers. The majority of our graduates pursue academic careers in tenure or non-tenure track positions in departments of Anthropology or other university programs, such as colleges of Medicine or Public Health, and Ethnic and Cultural Studies programs. Others of our graduates find work with state and local government organizations as planners, researchers, and managers. Finally, some of our graduates use their anthropological training in corporate and non-governmental organization or community-based settings.
PhD Program Data
The Graduate College maintains admissions, enrollment, completion, and employment data for PhD programs throughout the University. For more information, visit the Graduate College's PhD Program Data page.
American Anthropological Association
The American Anthropological Association provides a Careers in Anthropology page that details career opportunities and resources.
Career Resources for UI Graduate Students
The Graduate College offers robust professional development services, including career guidance, national grants and fellowships support, and Iowa's Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL). For more information on graduate student professional development services, visit the Professional Development page in the Graduate College.
Where do our graduates end up?
The following list is a sampling of where our graduate students have ended up in recent years:
| Name | Graduation Year | Current Employer |
|---|---|---|
| Emma Handler (Wood) | 2020 | Clinical Instructor, Anatomy & Cell Biology, UIHC |
| James McGrath | 2020 | Wapsi Valley Archaeology |
| Ana-Monica Racila | 2020 | Postdoc, UI College of Medicine (Iowa City, IA) |
| Christie Vogler | 2020 | Assistant Professor, History, University of Lynchburg |
| Alejandro Muzzio | 2019 | Instructor, Howard Community College (Columbia, MD) |
| Paul Capobianco | 2019 | Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Faculty of Media and Communication, Hokkaido University (Japan) |
| Theodore Marks | 2018 | Faculty member, Academic Studio, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (New Orleans, LA) |
| Meredith Wismer | 2018 | Assistant Professor, Anthropology, Salt Lake Community College (Salt Lake, UT) |
| Toby Avalos | 2017 | Assistant Professor, Centralia College (Centralia, WA) |
| Christian Haunton | 2017 | Religious Studies, University of Nebraska - Omaha (Omaha, NE) |
| Jill Davis | 2016 | Visiting Assistant Professor, Cornell College (Mt. Vernon, IA) |
| Miranda Karban | 2016 | Assistant Professor (tenure-track), Department of Biology, Illinois College (Jacksonville, IL) |
| Shelby Putt | 2016 | Assistant Professor, Illinois State University (Normal, IL) |
| Jennifer Trivedi | 2016 | Assistant Professor (tenure-track), University of Delaware (Newark, DE) |
| Susanna Donaldson | 2015 | Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of West Virginia (Morgantown, WV) |
| Christina Nicholas | 2015 | Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, University of Illinois - Chicago (Chicago, IL) |
| Tony Pomales | 2015 | Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Welfare, Augustana College (Rock Island, IL) |
| Michelle Quill | 2015 | Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Cornell College (Mount Vernon, IA) |
| Sarah Trabert | 2015 | Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK) |
| Brandi Janssen | 2014 | Clinical Assistant Professor and Director, Iowa's Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA) |
| Jonathan Thomas | 2014 | Research Support Coordinator, University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA) |
| Erica Begun-Veenstra | 2013 | Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University (Allendale, MI) |
| Cindee Calton | 2013 | Teacher Professional Development Specialist, Science Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN) and Adjunct Professor, McNally Smith College (St. Paul, MN) |
| Jenna Grant | 2013 | Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington (Seattle, WA) |
| Hannah Marsh | 2013 | Assistant Professor, Department of History and Anthropology, Central Missouri University (Warrensburg, MO) |
| Cristina L. Ortiz | 2013 | Assistant Professor, Division of Social Sciences, University of Minnesota - Morris (Morris, MN) |
| Clare Tolmie | 2013 | Senior Research Archaeologist, Illinois State Archaeological Survey (Champaign, IL) |
| Alissa M. Whitmore | 2013 | Academic Advisor, World Languages & Cultures, Iowa State University (Ames, IA) |
| Cerisa Reynolds | 2012 | Instructor, Department of Anthropology, Aims Community College (Greeley, CO) |
| Anna Waterman | 2012 | Associate Professor of Biology (tenured), Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, Mount Mercy University (Cedar Rapids, IA) |