Anthropology
Human cultures, societies, biological evolution, and archaeological research.
Who It's For
You are endlessly curious about human cultures, past and present, and want to understand the full diversity of human experience. If you enjoy travel, learning languages, fieldwork, and asking questions about why different societies develop different customs, anthropology offers a broad, intellectually stimulating path. Students who are open-minded, observant, and comfortable with ambiguity excel here.
If you want a degree with a clear, direct career path, anthropology's academic focus means most graduates pursue graduate school or pivot into related fields. Students who prefer quantitative analysis over qualitative fieldwork and ethnographic writing may find the methods less satisfying.
How Your High School Classes Connect
How much each subject matters in this degree
Common Coursework
Study human cultures worldwide — kinship, ritual, economy, and how societies organize themselves.
Examine human biology, primate behavior, forensic identification, and skeletal analysis.
Excavate and analyze artifacts, ruins, and material remains to reconstruct past societies.
Study how language shapes culture, identity, and power across different human societies.
Learn to conduct fieldwork — participant observation, interviews, and writing about other cultures.
Read key theorists — Boas, Lévi-Strauss, Geertz — who shaped how we study culture.
Apply statistical tests to survey and observational data in social science research.
Trace the fossil record and genetics of human ancestors from early primates to modern humans.
Study how different cultures understand illness, healing practices, and healthcare systems.
Compare religious beliefs, rituals, and spiritual practices across cultures using anthropological theory.
Study one world region in depth — its peoples, cultures, histories, and current challenges.
Common Next Steps
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Is Anthropology right for you?
Take our free 20-minute assessment to find out if anthropology matches your personality, interests, and strengths.
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