Program Overview

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology program at the University at Albany provides students with a scientific, humanistic, and comparative foundation for careers requiring expertise in spatial, temporal, social, and human-environmental analyses. The program features four subfields covering archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics.

Program of Study

The BA in Anthropology program requires a minimum of 36 credits in anthropology, including:

• Archaeology
• Cultural Anthropology
• Introduction to Human Evolution
• Introduction to Linguistics
• Senior Seminar in Anthropology
• 21 additional credits in anthropology at the 300 level or above

Applied Learning

Students can earn credits toward their degree through internships and independent studies in faculty labs, field research projects and courses, as well as opportunities at the New York State Museum and other local agencies.

Honors Program

Outstanding anthropology students are encouraged to consider the department's honors program, which gives them the opportunity to work closely with members of the faculty on research and writing projects.

Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Option

Students can save time and money by beginning their graduate degree coursework while still enrolled as an undergraduate student. Up to 12 academic credits, billed at the undergraduate rate, will count towards both degrees – so students will complete their combined program in only 5 years and spend less than they would if they completed each program separately.

Career Outcomes

With a bachelor's degree in anthropology, students will gain a unique understanding of human cultural diversity through the global past and in today's world. This knowledge and the analytical skills and methods secured in their training will prepare them for public and private sector careers.

Potential Job Titles

• Biological Anthropologist
• Demographer (historical and modern populations)
• Preservationist (environmental, cultural or endangered languages)
• Public Educator
• Speech Pathologist
• Archaeologist
• Medical Anthropologist
• Spatial/Social Analyst
• Museum Curator
• International Marketing Strategist
• International Policy Analyst
• Social Justice Analyst and Advocate
• Human Resources Management
• Journalist or Documentarian
• Medical Practitioner
• Lawyer

Student Learning Objectives

• Acquire increased awareness and understanding of human biological, linguistic, and cultural diversity.
• Understand principles, assumptions, terminology of human evolutionary studies, human fossil record, primate anatomy/behavior, evolutionary forces/bio. bases of human behaviors, scientific method applied to human past.
• Understand principles, assumptions, terminology used in major sub-areas of linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, acquisition, and socio-linguistics.
• Acquire ability to perform written anthropological analysis of a particular topic.
• Understand basic assumptions, principles, terminology, and methods of cultural anthropology, (culture, holism, ethnographic fieldwork, comparative method in ethnology).
• Understand methods and approaches of archaeological study of past societies, and data for outlines of world prehistory.
• Gain an understanding of what is a four-field approach to anthropology.