Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

Program Overview

Anthropology is an open major. Students may complete this degree with either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. If you're uncertain which is the right path for you, you can read about the major requirements below or learn more about the differences. 

Five Options within the Major

 Students completing the Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology may choose one of five options listed below. BA Anthropology students are not required to pursue an option and may elect to follow the standard course of study outlined here. Students fulfilling an option must complete all other remaining requirements of the standard anthropology major. Requirements for the options can also count toward major requirements. Completion of these options will be noted on the transcript upon graduation.  The options are:

• Medical Anthropology & Global Health (BA): The study of topics relating to health, illness, and healing from sociocultural, biological, clinically applied, public health, and other related perspectives.
• Anthropology of Globalization (BA): The study of today's increasingly interconnected and multicultural world, focusing on both contemporary and historical patterns of global exchange.
• Archaeological Sciences (BA): The rigorous study of archaeological methods and theory that concentrates on the relationships between the material traces of human activity and the actions and natural processes that result in these traces.
• Human Evolutionary Biology (BA): The study of how human evolutionary history has shaped modern human biology, and evolutionary perspectives on the cause of disease in contemporary humans.
• Indigenous Archaeology (BA): The in-depth study of indigenous archaeological perspectives on the evaluation and protection of cultural heritage sites.

To declare a formal option, visit our Major Declaration page. 

BA in Anthropology - 55 credits total

Note: not all courses are offered regularly. The Anthropology Curriculum Forecast tool provides tentative course offerings for ANTH, ARCHY and BIO A classses. Check the Time Schedule for all current course offerings. 

Core Requirements (20 credits)

• 5 credits: BIO A 201 – Principles of Biological Anthropology
• 5 credits: Any 200-level ARCHY course
• 5 credits: Any 200-level ANTH course
• Statistics course chosen from:
  • CS&SS / SOC / STAT 221 – Statistical Concepts and Methods for the Social Sciences (5 cr)
  • STAT 220 – Statistical Reasoning (5 cr)
  • STAT 311 – Elements of Statistical Methods (5 cr)
  • Q SCI 381 – Introduction to Probability & Statistics (5 cr)
  • BIOST 310 – Biostatistics for the Health Sciences (4 cr)
  • EDPSY 490 – Basic Educational Statistics (3 cr)
  • PSYCH 315 – Understanding Statistics in Psychology (5 cr)
  • QMETH 201 – Introduction to Statistical Methods (4 cr)
  • Occasionally other basic statistics courses may be accepted. Contact Advising for approved courses.

Upper Division Electives (20 credits)

Any 300–400 level ANTH, BIO A, and/or ARCHY courses. Certain AIS courses may apply (AIS 317, 330, 335, 340, or 443).

Additional Electives (15 credits)

Any 200-level or above ANTH, BIO A, and/or ARCHY courses. Certain AIS courses may apply (AIS 202, 203, 209, 210, 311, 330, 335, 340, 425, 443, or 480).

The following AIS courses may apply towards the major:  AIS 202, AIS 203, AIS 209, AIS 210, AIS 311, AIS 330, AIS 335, AIS 340, AIS 425, AIS 443, AIS 480.