Program Overview

Online Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology

The Online Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of human behavior, enabling them to solve social, cultural, economic, and political challenges in our society.

Program Information

• Next Starts: June 2026 - Summer Term, August 2026 - Fall Term A
• Program Format: 8-week courses, 5 terms year-round
• Program Length: 2 years, 60 units
• Cost Per Unit: $500 for Summer, $525 for Fall, with financial aid and scholarships available
• Application Deadlines: April 1 for June start, July 1 for August start

Thrive in a Competitive and Global Economy

An anthropology degree equips students with the skills to become skilled problem-solvers, cultural ambassadors, forensic sleuths, social justice advocates, or archaeological explorers. Anthropological skills are in demand across various organizations.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the following general admissions requirements:

• Complete at least 60 transferable semester or 90 quarter units, with a maximum of 70 semester units from community colleges transferable toward the degree.
• Complete all four CSU-approved general education requirements with a grade C- or higher:
  • (A1) Oral Communication/Speech
  • (A2) Written English Composition
  • (A3) Critical Thinking/Logic
  • (B4) Math/Quantitative Reasoning
• Have an overall grade point average of 2.0 or better.
• Students from Oregon enrolled in an SJSU Online program must meet Oregon State requirements for transferring coursework, earning a grade of "C" or better in all General Education courses.
• Graduation Requirement: Complete all CSU Lower Division General Education requirements.

Valuable Learning Experiences

The program offers coursework in areas such as archeology or cultural and physical anthropology, providing important skills like cultural interviewing, qualitative research, data analysis, and critical thinking. Classroom experiences challenge students to be creative, collaborative, and engage in hands-on problem-solving.

Featured Classes

• Eating Culture: The Anthropology of Food: Explore how humans seek, collect, grow, transform, and consume food, examining elements of human evolutionary history and the material processes of food production, preparation, and consumption.
• Gifts, Markets, and Power: Conduct a cross-cultural analysis of economic systems, including reciprocity, redistribution, market exchange, the history of money, and corporate capitalism.
• Historical Archaeology: Investigate the archaeology of the recent past, employing material analysis and archival research to understand the development of the modern industrialized world.
• Inca, Aztec and Maya Civilization: Research ancient high civilizations, exploring their sociocultural systems, art, architecture, and intellectual achievements.
• Modernity and Disease: Explore the effects of the modern world on human biology, focusing on adaptations to environmental changes, reproduction, diet, and diseases.
• Thought Control in Contemporary Society: Analyze sociocultural controls influencing human thought and behavior, including propaganda, censorship, and technologies of control.

What can you do with an Anthropology degree?

Graduates acquire transferable skills such as cultural competency, critical thinking, research design, and professional writing, which are increasingly in demand. Anthropologists in the Bay Area earn an average annual salary of $80,000, with an upper range of $142,000.

Top Job Titles

• Adjunct professor
• Arts coordinator
• Career development specialist
• Case manager
• Design researcher
• Laboratory manager
• Marketing and brand director
• Outreach specialist
• Project manager
• Talent acquisition director

Top Companies

• Accenture
• Apple
• Caltrans
• City of Mountain View
• County of Santa Clara
• Kaiser Permanente
• Library Systems & Services, LLC
• SJSU
• Stanford University
• The Walt Disney Company

Top Sectors

• Administration
• Arts and design
• Business development
• Community and social services
• Education
• Healthcare services
• Information technology
• Media and communication
• Operations
• Research

Expert Faculty and Diverse Classmates

The program boasts expert faculty and a diverse student body, enabling students from all walks of life to accomplish their goals. The faculty's expertise and the program's structure support students in achieving success in school and life.