Anthropology, Archaeology Concentration, B.S.

Degree Requirements

Major Requirements

To earn a B.A. or B.S. degree in anthropology, students complete 40-41 credit hours in the major. Given the diverse opportunities the discipline provides, the major is designed to allow students the opportunity to work closely with their advisers to develop a curriculum appropriate to their personal and professional interests. Those students wishing to do so may elect to pursue a concentration in one of the three sub-disciplines of cultural, biological or archaeological anthropology.

The concentrations guide students in choosing courses to enhance opportunities for graduate school or allow them to pursue an area of personal interest within the larger discipline of anthropology. Up to two elective courses from a discipline outside of anthropology may be applied to the major. Elective courses from outside of the program must be approved by the student’s adviser and must be at the 300- or 400-level. Students must receive at least a “C-” in a class to have it count toward the major.

General Program

The general program provides students with a holistic introduction to the breadth of anthropology highlighting experience in the subdisciplines of cultural, archaeological and biological anthropology, as well as introductory experiences in linguistics. The program is designed to provide students with a well-rounded understanding of the discipline in preparation for advanced graduate training or as an adjunct to their personal and professional aspirations.

Archaeology Concentration Requirements

Archaeology is the study of the development and change of human societies from the prehistoric past to the present through the identification, gathering and interpretation of material remains. While a major contributor to biological anthropology and forensics, archaeology is most closely tied to cultural anthropology and has been described as cultural anthropology in the past tense. As demonstrated by the emergence of discipline of historical archaeology, the field has strong ties to the practice of history.

Students planning a career in archaeology might enroll in an archaeological field school. Those interested in historical archaeology should consider the cross disciplinary historical archaeology minor. Archaeology students are also encouraged to take ANTH 435. Ethnographic Genres and Methods . This sub-discipline shares strong methodological and thematic ties with history, geology, geography, biology and art history and upper-level course electives from these areas are encouraged. Students may consider co-majoring or minoring in these fields as a complement to their education.