Q: Holly asks, “Hello. I have work experience in marketing research as well as training and development. I am considering going back to school to study anthropology with the ultimate goal to apply research methods in a corporation or an ethnographic research firm such as yours. My undergraduate degree is completely unrelated to anthropology, marketing research, and training. My question is this: What is your recommendation for me in terms of what education will prepare me best for my career goal (e.g., take undergraduate anthropology classes and then pursue a graduate program in anthropology; puruse a marketing research degree and minor in anthropology to include ethnographic research). Do you have suggestions for how to proceed? Thank you for your time and I look forward to your feedback.”

A: Hi Holly,

Thanks for your question.

Here at Ethnographic Research, Inc we believe strongly that a graduate degree in Sociology and/or Anthropology is the best preparation for professional ethnographic work. It is important to gain a strong foundation in social science theory and method and to have the opportunity to practice especially when you are called on to do rapid ethnographic projects like some of the work we do. When data must be collected and analyzed more quickly than traditional ethnographic research, your methodological tool kit has to be sharp and well practiced. To my knowledge, most market research programs do not give much attention to ethnography.

Melinda