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Anthropology, Applied Track (B.A.)

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B.A., Anthropology,
Applied Track

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

What You'll Do

Applied Anthropology tries to understand and provide solutions to the big problems of our times, and recognizes that many of them are rooted in social relations. As an Anthropology major in the Applied Anthropology track, you’ll learn how to study humanity using the methods and theories that govern research in this field.

Your advisor will work with you to focus your courses on a topic, for example, in environmental, economic, psychological, medical, educational, or food/nutritional anthropology, in which you can build expertise and pursue research. Students have recently focused their work on immigration issues, the challenges of refugees, and new mothers in Africa, among many other topics. 

The free electives in this major offer flexibility, allowing you to use them to add a double major or minor. Students are required to choose an internship from among the wide variety of options available and to explore opportunities for research.

What You'll Become

The B.A. degree in the Applied Anthropology track will prepare you for a professional career or for continuing your education with graduate school. Cultural and linguistic anthropologists find employment in government research, community-based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, or health-related fields or administrative jobs as social analysts or as program officers. Biological anthropologists find employment in museums, as consultants for law enforcement in victim identification, and in medical and epidemiological research.

In today's job market, there is an increasing demand for employees with cross-cultural skills and an ability to use anthropological methods like ethnography in the research and development of locally relevant products and marketing.

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Special Features

  •  Students in this major may be interested in adding the Asian Studies minor, Latin American Studies minor, or Pan-African Studies minor.
  • Students often join faculty in attending professional meetings such as the Northeastern Anthropological Association, Society for Applied Anthropology, and American Anthropological Association conferences. They frequently present papers at the PASSHE University Undergraduate Anthropology Meetings.
  • Students enjoy hands-on learning opportunities by working with IUP Archaeological Services, which has conducted over $6 million in projects for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Indiana County, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the National Park Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Pittsburgh District, and other agencies.
  • Students in the honors program have executed research on diverse topics, including the social effects of energy extraction, library use, rape culture on college campuses, and cultural and historical changes in women's dress in Indiana.
  • The Anthropology Club organizes outings, guest lectures, films, and other activities.

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