Advising

Becoming an Anthropology Major

If you're interested in anthropology as a major you should do a few things:

  1. Read this website so you have a feel for the major.
  2. Research anthropology: read a few articles from anthropology journals, check out a book from the library written by one of our professors, or take a class.
  3. Think about what you want to do in the long run, and what you can see yourself doing for a career and make sure that anthropology fits with one or both of those things.
  4. If you've taken an ANTH class, talk to the professor about majoring and the benefits of doing so.

So, if you're still interested in declaring the ANTH major click here to start the process. 

  • You will receive an email with detailed instructions including tasks for completing your request to add or change your major. Throughout the process you may be notified if additional actions are required.

  • The tasks will include meeting with the Anthropology undergraduate advisor, attending or completing a workshop, and submitting a graduation plan. 

  • Once you complete all of the tasks listed in the system and your graduation plan has been approved, your major will be changed or added.

  • These requests may take up to 15 business days to process. 

*Students on academic probation/dismissal, student athletes and other designated student populations will be required to schedule an appointment with a BSOS College Advisor to finalize their major change or addition.

If you have any questions, please let me know: 

Erik Hanson
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies
Undergraduate Advisor

Department of Anthropology
4302 Chapel Lane
1111A Woods Hall
College Park, MD 20742
(301) 405-1436

Degree Requirements

The Department of Anthropology offers both a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree is more specialized and requires more math and science courses. Both degrees offer a strong foundation on which to build a professional career. The Department also offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Culture and Environment in conjunction with the Environmental Science and Policy Program (ENSP). 

Satisfactory Progress Benchmarks

All students--whether pursuing a B.A. or B.S. degree--must have successfully completed the following requirements within two terms of being in the major:
a) Two of the following: ANTH 210, ANTH222, ANTH 240,  ANTH 260
b) Four General Education Distributive Studies courses
c) Fundamental Studies Math and English requirements

All students--whether pursuing a B.A. or B.S. degree--must have successfully completed three of the four foundational courses: ANTH210, ANTH222; ANTH240; and ANTH260 within three terms.

Students who fail to complete these benchmarks will be removed from the major.

Degree Audits

An audit is the procedure for checking your progress toward your degree.  Students can have one done at any time but they must have an official audit done soon after reaching 75 credits,  as this is required for graduation. Access your uachieve.umd.edu  report and then make an appointment with the Department of Anthropology Undergraduate Advisor to check all your requirements for the Anthropology degree

Foundation Courses (3 courses)
Three of the following four foundation courses are required for the B.A. in Anthropology degree. (If a student completes all four foundation courses, the fourth course can be counted as an anthropology elective)

  • ANTH210 Introduction to Medical Anthropology and Global Health
  • ANTH222 Introduction to Ecological and Evolutionary Anthropology (4 credits)
  • ANTH240 Introduction to Archaeology
  • ANTH260 Introduction to Socio-cultural Anthropology and Linguistics

Method and Theory Courses (2 courses)
Two of the following four upper-level method and theory courses are required for the anthropology major. (If a student completes a third or fourth method and theory courses, these courses can be counted as an anthropology electives.)

  • ANTH310 Method & Theory in Medical Anthropology and Global Health (offered every Spring) 
  • ANTH322 Method & Theory in Ecological Anthropology (offered every Fall)
  • ANTH340 Method and Theory of Archaeology (offered every Fall beginning Fall 2021)
  • ANTH360 Method and Theory of Socio-Cultural Anthropology (offered every Spring)

Anthropology Electives (minimum of 12 credits)
12 credits of anthropology electives, beyond the foundational and method and theory course requirements, are required for a B.A. in Anthropology

  • 6 of the 12 credits must be taken at the 300 - 400 level
  • A maximum of 6 experiential learning credits may be applied to this requirement: ANTH358, ANTH386, ANTH398.
  • Courses listed as ANTH and courses taught by anthropology Affiliate Faculty in other departments can be counted towards the anthropology electives requirement.  Students are advised to check with the Undergraduate Advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies before enrolling in courses with affiliate faculty.
  • Pre-approved anthropology courses completed in departments affiliated with the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area can also be applied to the elective requirement. Students are advised to check with the Undergraduate Advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies before enrolling in courses through the Consortium.

Applied Field Methods (minimum of 3 credits)
Reflective, experiential learning is an essential to anthropology. Anthropology majors therefore are required to take one of the following courses. Courses worth more than 3 credits may have their additional credits applied toward the Anthropology electives requirement.

  • ANTH341 Introduction to Zooarchaeology
  • ANTH386 Experiential Learning Internship, 3-6 credits
  • ANTH447 Material Culture Studies in Archaeology
  • ANTH451 Environmental Archaeology
  • ANTH464 Anthropology of Cultural Heritage
  • ANTH465 Ethnoecology
  • ANTH466 Anthropology of Work
  • ANTH467 Researching Environment and Culture
  • ANTH481 Environmental Ethnographies
  • ANTH496 Field Methods in Archaeology, 6 credits (Students focusing in Archaeology must take ANTH496: Field Methods in Archaeology.)

ANTH courses that count toward the General Education Scholarship-in-Practice requirement will also count toward this requirement. ANTH398A: Independent Study may be counted following approval by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Other relevant courses may be used with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Quantitative Skills Course (1)
 A quantitative Skills course is required for the B.A. in Anthropology degree. Designed to give students a background in quantitative analysis and statistics, this requirement helps students develop a mathematical foundation for future academic and career goals. The quantitative skills option is satisfied by the completion of one course from the following list with a C- or better:

  • MATH107 Introduction to Math Modeling and Probability (or higher level MATH course)
  • STAT100 Introduction to Statistics
  • BIOM301 Introduction to Biometrics
  • ECON201  Principles of Macroeconomics
  • ECON321 Economic Statistics
  • EDMS451 Introduction to Educational Statistics
  • GEOG306 Introduction to Quantitative Methods for the Geographic Environmental Sciences
  • PSYC200 Statistical Methods in Psychology
  • SOCY201 Introductory Statistics for Sociology

Additional courses can be used to satisfy this requirement, but must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies

 

Supporting Course Work (minimum of 18 credits)
The supporting coursework requirement is like designing your own minor within Anthropology. To fulfill the supporting coursework requirement, students may take courses from a pre-existing minor, from a single department outside Anthropology, or from multiple departments. The purpose of the supporting course sequence is to enable students to develop skills and additional academic preparation that related to their specific interests in anthropology. Supporting courses can be used to further develop a student’s focused interest in archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, or linguistic anthropology or they might be directed to a particular topical or skill area (for example: social science research methods, human geography, environmental, health, cultural studies, gender) or they might be used to learn about a particular geographical or cultural group (for example Latin Americans, the African Diaspora, Muslims, etc.) 

The following rules also apply to the supporting course work requirement:

  • Supporting courses should relate to the student's area of focus.
  • All courses intended to satisfy the requirement must be approved by the faculty advisor prior to the student's senior year.  Therefore, students should plan ahead with the Undergraduate Advisor
  • Up to 8 credits of the 18 credit requirement may be fulfilled with anthropology courses (but then these credits cannot be counted toward other ANTH requirements.
  • A maximum of 6 credits of the following courses may be applied to this requirement: ANTH358, ANTH386, ANTH398.
  • Courses used toward the department's quantitative skills requirement or any other Anthropology requirements may not be applied to the Supporting Course Work section.
  • If a student plans to use course work from another major or minor it is the student's responsibility to ensure that work is eligible to be double counted.

Please direct questions concerning the supporting  course work requirement to the Undergraduate Advisor.

Click here for the Supporting Coursework Approval Form.

Foundation Courses (3 courses)
Three of the following four foundation courses are required for the B.S. in Anthropology degree. (If a student completes all four foundation courses, the fourth course can be counted as an anthropology elective)

  • ANTH210 Introduction to Medical Anthropology and Global Health
  • ANTH222 Introduction to Ecological and Evolutionary Anthropology (4 credits)
  • ANTH240 Introduction to Archaeology
  • ANTH260 Introduction to Socio-cultural Anthropology and Linguistics

Method and Theory Courses (2 courses)
Two of the following four upper-level method and theory courses are required for a B.S. in Anthropology. (If a student completes a third or fourth method and theory courses, these courses can be counted as an anthropology electives.)

  • ANTH310 Method & Theory in Medical Anthropology and Global Health (offered every Spring) 
  • ANTH322 Method & Theory in Ecological Anthropology (offered every Fall)
  • ANTH340 Method and Theory of Archaeology (offered every Fall)
  • ANTH360 Method and Theory of Socio-Cultural Anthropology (offered every Spring)

Anthropology Electives (minimum of 12 credits)
12 credits of anthropology electives, beyond the foundational and method and theory course requirements, are required for a B.S. in Anthropology

  • 6 of the 12 credits must be taken at the 300 - 400 level
  • A maximum of 6 experiential learning credits may be applied to this requirement: ANTH358, ANTH386, ANTH398.
  • Courses listed as ANTH and courses taught by anthropology Affiliate Faculty in other departments can be counted towards the anthropology electives requirement.  Students are advised to check with the Undergraduate Advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies before enrolling in courses with affiliate faculty.
  • Pre-approved anthropology courses completed in departments affiliated with the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area can also be applied to the elective requirement. Students are advised to check with the Undergraduate Advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies before enrolling in courses through the Consortium.

Applied Field Methods (minimum of 3 credits)
Reflective, experiential learning is an essential to anthropology. Anthropology majors therefore are required to take one of the following courses. Courses worth more than 3 credits may have their additional credits applied toward the Anthropology electives requirement.

  • ANTH341 Introduction to Zooarchaeology
  • ANTH386 Experiential Learning Internship, 3-6 credits
  • ANTH447 Material Culture Studies in Archaeology
  • ANTH451 Environmental Archaeology
  • ANTH464 Anthropology of Cultural Heritage
  • ANTH465 Ethnoecology
  • ANTH466 Anthropology of Work
  • ANTH467 Researching Environment and Culture
  • ANTH481 Environmental Ethnographies
  • ANTH496 Field Methods in Archaeology, 6 credits (Students focusing in Archaeology must take ANTH496: Field Methods in Archaeology.)

ANTH courses that count toward the General Education Scholarship-in-Practice requirement will also count toward this requirement. ANTH398A: Independent Study may be counted following approval by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Other relevant courses may be used with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Quantitative Skills Courses (2)
 Two of the following quantitative skills courses are required for the B.S. in Anthropology degree.

  • MATH107 Introduction to Math Modeling and Probability
  • STAT100 Introduction to Statistics
  • MATH120 Elementary Calculus I (4 cr.)
  • MATH121 Elementary Calculus II (4 cr. )
  • MATH140 Calculus I (4 cr.)
  • MATH141 Calculus II (4 cr.)

Specialization Science Electives (3 courses, at least 9 credits)

Three courses and at least nine credits of courses from the list below are required for a B.S. in Anthropology. Courses with prerequisites are marked with an asterisk (*). Students are responsible for checking prerequisites. Prerequisite courses will not count toward the 3-course, 9-credit total unless the prerequisite courses are also counted here.

  • AGNR301 Sustainability
  • AOSC 123 Causes and Implications of Global Change
  • AOSC200/1 Weather & Climate w/lab (4 cr.) 
  • AREC241 Environment, Economics and Policy (4 cr.)
  • *AREC326 Intermediate Applied Microeconomics
  • AREC345 Global Poverty and Economic Development
  • AREC365 World Hunger, Population and Food Supplies
  • AREC433 Food and Agricultural Policy
  • *AREC453 Natural Resources and Public Policy
  • BSCI103 World of Biology
  • BSCI135 Plants that Transformed the World (4 cr.)
  • BSCI151 Beyond Race: Human Biological Diversity
  • BSCI160/1 Principles of Molecular and Cellular Biology (4 cr.) 
  • BSCI170/1 Principles of Ecology and Evolution (4 cr.) 
  • BSCI201 Human Anatomy & Physiology I (4 cr.) 
  • BSCI202 Human Anatomy & Physiology II (4 cr.)
  • *BSCI222 Principles of Genetics (4 cr.)
  • BSCI223 General Microbiology (4 cr.) 
  • *BSCI360 Principles of Animal Behavior
  • *BSCI361 Principles of Ecology (4 cr.)
  • *BSCI363 Biology of Conservation and Extinction
  • *BSCI370 Principles of Evolution
  • *BSCI462 Population Ecology
  • *BSCI471 Molecular Evolution
  • CHEM131/2 Chemistry w/ lab
  • *CHEM231/2 Organic Chemistry w/ lab
  • CMSC 131 Object-Oriented Programming I (4 cr.)
  • CMSC 132 Object-Oriented Programming II (4 cr.)
  • ENCE215 Engineering for Sustainability
  • ENST233 Introduction to Environmental Health
  • GEOL100/110 Physical Geology w/ lab (4 cr.)
  • *GEOL 340 Geomorphology
  • *GEOL 342 Stratigraphy and Sedimentation
  • *GEOL 446 Geophysics
  • GEOG 330 Society and Sustainability
  • GEOG 332 Economic Geography
  • GEOG 373 Geographic Information System
  • *GEOG 416 Conceptualizing and Modeling Human Environment Interactions
  • GEOG 431 Culture and Natural Resource Management
  • *GEOG 472 Remote Sensing: Digital Processing and Analysis
  • *GEOG 473 Geographic Information System and Spatial Analysis
  • HIST 204 History of Science
  • HLTH130 Introduction to Public and Community Health
  • HLTH200 Introduction to Research in Community Health
  • *HLTH300 Biostatistics for Public Health Practice
  • *MIEH300 Introduction to Environmental Health
  • MIEH321 Environmental Determinants of Emerging Infectious Diseases

Undergraduate Course Listing

Woods Hall

Visit the link below for a list of the current/upcoming semester course offerings.

View Current Anthropology Courses

Program Core Values

Culture

  • Demonstrate an understanding of culture and society
  • Understand the evolution of the change in human species both biologically and behaviorally
  • Understand the major biological and cultural transitions that have taken place since the emergence of Homo sapiens
  • Critically examine different societies and provide a context for values and the values of others
  • Offer possible explanations that address cultural and biological differences and similarities among diverse communities
  • Understand the process and effects of globalization
  • Encourage students to take courses that emphasize foreign cultures and / or encourage a foreign language in order to gain insight into alternative perspectives

Diversity

  • Demonstrate knowledge, awareness and understanding of a culturally and biologically diverse world
  • Understand and explain the diversity of cultures
  • Understand the perspectives of culture bearer
  • Recognize diversity in race, ethnicity, class, gender, and age
  • Critically examine one's own cultural and social identities and understand how those identities shape one's beliefs and attitudes
  • Critically evaluate how people and groups vary across time and places and the effects of such variation
  • Understand social inequality and become civically engaged to address the issue

Research and Application

  • Demonstrate the ability to understand complex research problems, and articulate appropriate methods and theory
  • Describe the role of research methods in building anthropological knowledge that includes critical and systematic thinking
  • Ability to design and carry out an anthropology research project, describe the role of data analysis, and answer social, biocultural, and historical questions
  • Ability to use the computer in the acquisition and analysis of information and data
  • Critically identify underlying assumptions in particular theoretical orientations or arguments
  • Critically identify underlying assumptions in particular methodological approaches to an issue and be able to articulate them orally and in writting
  • Present opposing viewpoints and alternative hypotheses on various issues
  • Show how patterns of thought and knowledge are directly influenced by political, economic and/ or social structures