PRIMATE PERSPECTIVE An anthropology student meets a spider monkey. The Anthropology BA brings together different elements of anthropology, from spider monkeys and food sustainability to energy policies and prehistoric weapons.
Summer Research in Madagascar
"I'm becoming involved in environmental and cultural sustainability, resource management, and ecology. This summer, I'll have the amazing experience of going to Madagascar to research its unique biodiversity and rainforest ecology. The Honors College Achievement Fund made this possible, and for that I'm very thankful."
Kyle Murray, Anthropology BA
Why Anthropology?
Anthropologists seek to understand humanity, how we came to be the way we are, in which ways we differ, and how we are all the same. We do this by studying our evolution, the societies we developed throughout our history, and the diversity of cultural patterns we have developed across the world.
Aside from the unique worldview that anthropologists gain from studying humanity in this way, the skillsets we develop in our professional training are in high demand for a wide range of careers. Forensic anthropologists are trained to work in labs for the identification of human remains, archaeologists learn how to study and handle prehistoric remains to meet state and federal laws, and cultural anthropologists learn how to engage directly with the public, as well as with governmental and non-profit agencies on environmental and social issues. With our Anthropology BA you'll have the chance to gain expertise on a wide range of techniques and topics associated with the four subdisciplines of Anthropology: sociocultural, biological, linguistic, and archaeology.
Courses in the Department of Anthropology at IUP are designed to provide you with the needed information and experience to put your Anthropology BA to use in a professional career upon finishing your BA. Some examples of the career paths of our recent graduates include health care professional, zoo primatologist, and public policy researcher. Other potential career paths that the Anthropology, BA will prepare you for include international business, documentary film maker, museum curator.
WATER RESOURCES ANALYZED Students observe the operations at a water treatment facility during an ethnographic field school with professors Anastasia Hudgins and Amanda Poole.
Customize your Degree Through a Minor, Double Major, or Internship
The Anthropology BA is also good choice if there is a specific topic or area of expertise that you would like to customize through a minor or a double major, or through an internship at a specific institution.
Free electives offered by this major are especially useful since they give you the opportunity to explore another field by adding a minor. Some of the minors offered by IUP include criminology, business administration for non-majors, sociology/applied social research, information assurance, political science, dance, theater, geospatial intelligence, and digital history.
Continuing on to Grad School?
The Anthropology BA also provides an excellent foundation on the most important concepts in the four fields of anthropology for those looking to continue their education into graduate school.
If you are still unsure, feel free to come talk to us, we are located at McElhaney G1. Ask for Dr. Ben Ford
Courses for the Anthropology, BA
Required Courses
- ANTH 211 Cultural Anthropology 3cr
- ANTH 222 Biological Anthropology
- ANTH 233 Language and Culture
- ANTH 244 Basic Archaeology
- ANTH 456 Ethnographic Research Methods or 425 Archaeological Theory and Research Design
- ANTH 480 Anthropology Seminar
Controlled Electives
- Two courses in topical area ethnography, such as ANTH 271, 272, 273, 274, 314, 370
- Three additional ANTH electives (300 or 400 level)
- One additional ANTH elective (any level)