Program Overview

Bachelor of Science with a Major in Biological Anthropology

Overview

The Bachelor of Science with a Major in Biological Anthropology program at George Washington University emphasizes coursework on human evolution, human anatomy, and primatology. This program prepares students for careers in academic settings, including universities and museums, or for careers in medicine, public health, and psychology. The university's close connections with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History provide students with access to one of the world's greatest collections of hominoid fossils and skeletal specimens.

Admissions

The admission process for the Bachelor of Science with a Major in Biological Anthropology program includes submitting an application via the Common Application. Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Requirements

The following requirements must be fulfilled:

• 51 credits, including 21 credits in introductory courses and 40 additional credits in required courses for the major.
• Course List:
  • Required introductory courses:
    • ANTH 1001: Biological Anthropology
    • ANTH 1002: Sociocultural Anthropology
    • ANTH 1003: Archaeology
    • ANTH 1004: Language in Culture and Society
    • BISC 1111: Introductory Biology: Cells and Molecules
    • BISC 1112: Introductory Biology: The Biology of Organisms
  • Additional required courses for the major:
    • 12 credits in courses selected from the following:
      • ANTH 2406: Human Evolutionary Genetics
      • ANTH 3401: Human Functional Anatomy
      • ANTH 3402: Human Evolutionary Anatomy
      • ANTH 3403: Forensic Anthropology Laboratory
      • ANTH 3404: Human Variation
      • ANTH 3406: Advanced Human Osteology
      • ANTH 3407: Conservation in a Changing World: Human and Animal Behavior
      • ANTH 3408: The Evolution of Human Families
      • ANTH 3409: Evolution of Primate Life Histories
      • ANTH 3411: Primatology
      • ANTH 3412: Hominin Evolution
      • ANTH 3413: Evolution of the Human Brain
      • ANTH 3491: Topics in Biological Anthropology
      • ANTH 3802: Human Cultural Beginnings
      • ANTH 3832: Paleoanthropological Field Program
    • 9 credits in biology (BISC) courses numbered 2000 or above, including at least one course from each of the following three categories:
      • Cell/molecular biology
      • Organismal/sub-organismal biology
      • Ecology/evolution
    • One course selected from the following:
      • CHEM 1111: General Chemistry I
      • CHEM 1112: General Chemistry II
      • CHEM 2085: Environmental Chemistry
      • CHEM 3140: Geochemistry
      • CHEM 3165: Biochemistry I
      • CHEM 3166: Biochemistry II
      • PSYC 2014: Cognitive Psychology
      • PSYC 2015: Biological Psychology
      • PSYC 3112: Psychology of Adolescence
      • PSYC 3118: Neuropsychology
      • BISC 1005: The Biology of Nutrition and Health
      • BISC 1006: The Ecology and Evolution of Organisms
      • GEOL 1001: Physical Geology
      • GEOL 1002: Historical Geology
      • GEOL 1005: Environmental Geology
      • STAT 1127: Statistics for the Biological Sciences
    • 6 credits in anthropology (ANTH) courses numbered 2000 and above, excluding courses in the 3400 range, ANTH 3802, and ANTH 3832.

General Education

In addition to the University General Education Requirement, undergraduate students in Columbian College must complete a further, College-specific general education curriculum—Perspective, Analysis, Communication (G-PAC) as well as the course CCAS 1001 First-Year Experience. Together with the University General Education Requirement, G-PAC engages students in active intellectual inquiry across the liberal arts.

Special Honors

In order to be considered for graduation with Special Honors in anthropology, archaeology, or biological anthropology, a major must have a grade-point average of 3.5 or better in courses required for the major, register for 3 credits of ANTH 3995 Undergraduate Research, and write a paper of special distinction arising out of a program of directed reading or research.

Combined Programs

The university offers combined programs, including:

• Bachelor of Science with a major in biological anthropology and Master of Arts in the field of anthropology
• Bachelor of Science with a major in biological anthropology and Master of Science in the field of human paleobiology