Field Opportunities

A range of fieldwork opportunities, internships, paid and unpaid positions are available to students in all four subfields of Anthropology. UW–Madison offers some anthropology specific field schools annually, listed below:

• UW–Madison Biological Anthropology Field School in Swartkrans, South Africa with Dr. Travis Pickering – (travis.pickering@wisc.edu)

For students in search of additional for-credit field school opportunities, the Institute for Field Research offers dozens of accredited field schools in archaeology, primatology, bioarchaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and occasionally linguistics. Several AnthroCircle officers have participated in IFR programs in previous years, and would be happy to provide thoughts and feedback on applications and program selections. Feel free to reach out to Ash (ajenkswisc.edu) for more information. Check out the IFR website for more information on the field schools they’re offering this season.

Also, other UW System schools provide for-credit field school opportunities and the programs being apart of UW makes it easier to transfer the credits to UW-Madison

Several additional paid opportunities for undergraduates are listed below. These opportunities are often highly competitive and frequently require the previous completion of an accredited 4-week field school.

• Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Summer Internship in Cortez, Colorado
• Archaeology Jobs & Internships through the National Park Service
• Women in Archaeology Internship
• Smithsonian Internships (paid & unpaid)

Designing and funding your own research experience. For undergraduates with independent research interests, it is possible to design and fund your own projects (both domestic and abroad) under the supervision of a UW–Madison faculty member. These projects can take the form of an Honors Thesis, a Senior Thesis, or an Independent Study (699 course code) project. Funding up to $3,000 is available through university research grants specifically designed for undergraduates, including the Honors Summer Senior Research Grant, the Mensink Research Grant, the Trewartha Undergraduate Honors Research Grant, the Hilldale Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and others. Several non-profit organizations designed to facilitate cultural exchange and homestays are also available for students interested in traveling as part of their research.

Students thinking about declaring Honors and pursuing an Honors thesis should visit the L&S Honors Program website to see if it’s right for them. Those interested in a Senior Thesis or 699 Independent study should reach out to the professor(s) they hope to work with directly.

For students interested in pursuing funding for their independent research, several relevant links are included below:

• UW–Madison Letters & Science Honors Program Research Funding
• Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships
• Holstrom Environmental Research Fellowship
• Wisconsin Scholarship WiSH Hub Login

For students interested in arranging homestays during their research, Work Away and World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) are internationally recognized and widely used organizations designed to match travelers with host families and individuals around the world who are interested in cultural exchange. Both programs require a small annual membership fee.

For more information about the opportunities listed above, feel free to reach out to anthrocircle@rso.wisc.edu. Please keep in mind that AnthroCircle is not responsible for the safety or actions of students and individuals who choose to investigate and pursue the above opportunities further.