Bachelor of Arts in
Anthropology
Our anthropology degree combines hands-on field experience with a solid base of marketable skills.
Whether you’re preparing for graduate school or for the job market, Oakland University’s Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology gets you ready for the next step. Our anthropology degree equips you with practical skills that are in high demand throughout the workforce. In addition to cultivating proficiency in writing, research, and critical analysis, Oakland’s anthropology degree offers specialized training in areas such as data management, drone technology, and GIS mapping. You can also perform field research and study abroad in our anthropology program, gaining real-world experience and a multicultural perspective. If you seek broad career options and a strong professional foundation, our anthropology bachelor’s degree has what you’re looking for.
Whether you’re preparing for graduate school or for the job market, Oakland University’s Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology gets you ready for the next step. Our anthropology degree equips you with practical skills that are in high demand throughout the workforce. In addition to cultivating proficiency in writing, research, and critical analysis, Oakland’s anthropology degree offers specialized training in areas such as data management, drone technology, and GIS mapping. You can also perform field research and study abroad in our anthropology program, gaining real-world experience and a multicultural perspective. If you seek broad career options and a strong professional foundation, our anthropology bachelor’s degree has what you’re looking for.
Anthropology Degree: The Oakland University Advantage
Our bachelor’s degree in anthropology offers distinctive benefits that aren’t available from any other anthropology program in Michigan. You’ll enjoy graduate-level opportunities as an undergraduate anthropology major, gaining experience that stands out on a resume or a grad-school application.
Choose Oakland’s anthropology degree if you’re looking for:
- Hands-on research. Our anthropology program routinely gets you out of the classroom and into museums, dig sites, and other real-world settings. You’ll enjoy one-of-a-kind opportunities to conduct lab analysis and field research, both in the Great Lakes region and overseas at Oakland’s unique archaeological field school in Israel.
- Advanced technological training. You’ll work with geographic information systems (GIS), computer simulations, camera-equipped drones, and other professional tools as part of our anthropology degree. More broadly, you’ll acquire a comfort level with technology that’s transferable to any career.
- Academic flexibility. Our anthropology degree offers concentrations in cultural anthropology, archaeology, and general anthropology. Within any of these academic tracks, you can choose electives and field experiences that tailor the anthropology degree to your particular interests.
- Personal attention from faculty. Our anthropology instructors are active researchers who don’t simply teach from the textbook. With small class sizes and extensive field opportunities, you’ll get plenty of faculty face-time, developing strong relationships that add value to our anthropology degree.
- Maturity and professional polish. Graduates of our anthropology degree have extremely high rates of job placement and graduate school admission. You’ll project self-confidence, communicate with clarity, and possess a multicultural perspective that has value in today’s diverse global economy.
What Can You Do With an Anthropology Degree?
In addition to offering first-rate preparation for graduate programs in anthropology, our anthropology degree provides a good foundation for postgraduate study in teaching, business, law, and other professional disciplines. If you choose to go straight into the job market, our anthropology degree qualifies you to work in a broad range of industries. You’ll be particularly well qualified for employment in venues such as:
- Museums
- Cultural resource organizations
- Government agencies
- Universities
- Nonprofit organizations
- International aid and development organizations
- Arts institutions
Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree : What You’ll Study
The anthropology degree includes core courses in human evolution, research methods, cultural anthropology, and anthropological theory. You’ll take 24 elective credits in one of three concentrations (cultural anthropology, archaeology, or general anthropology), with broad course flexibility to tailor the degree to your interests. A small sample of course options includes:
- Archaeological Methods and Theory
- Forensic Anthropology
- Methods and Theory in Cultural Anthropology
- North American Archaeology
- Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
- Ancient Civilizations
- Language and Culture
- The Human Skeleton
- Primate Behavior
- Magic, Witchcraft and Religion
- Peoples and Cultures of Mexico and Central America
Anthropology Program Resources
- Major requirements
- Minor requirements
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice
- College of Arts and Sciences
Programs Related to the Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
Not sure if the anthropology degree is right for you ? Check out these other undergraduate degrees at Oakland, and contact our admissions team to discuss your options.