Department of Anthropology

What is Anthropology?

Anthropology is the holistic study of humanity – past and present – asking big questions about what it means to be human. By combining scientific and humanistic approaches, anthropologists explore how people live, adapt and create meaning across time and space, from ancient communities to today’s global cities.

Our department is distinctive in embracing anthropology’s full scope. You’ll encounter cultural anthropology through the study of living societies, archaeology through the analysis of material remains, and biological anthropology through the study of human evolution, variation and primates. Faculty research spans topics such as health, ecology, politics, technology, environmental adaptation and public policy, highlighting anthropology’s strong interdisciplinary connections across the sciences, humanities and health fields.

As a student, you’ll gain critical thinking, research and cross-cultural skills that translate to many careers. More importantly, you’ll develop a deeper, more informed understanding of humanity – and your role within it.

Career Prospects

Where Your Curiosity About People Becomes Your Professional Power

A degree in Anthropology gives you more than knowledge about human culture and behavior — it gives you a framework for understanding the world that today's most complex challenges demand. We help you build skills in cultural intelligence, critical analysis and human-centered research that open doors across industries, sectors and borders.

Anthropology's reach is wider than most students expect. Our graduates work in corporations and startups, government agencies and NGOs, hospitals and research labs, museums and courtrooms — and many forge paths that didn't exist when they started their degree.

You'll gain the skills to ask better questions, interpret what you find and translate that understanding into real-world impact. Our graduates turn their passion for understanding people into meaningful careers. They become researchers, strategists, advocates and innovators who shape policy, drive design and build more equitable communities.

Explore Career Pathways in Anthropology