Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major by the department’s undergraduate studies director requires a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) and a grade point average of 2.00 or higher in two anthropology courses. 

University Requirements

• A total of 120 credit hours 
• 6 credit hours of college writing 
• 3 credit hours of college mathematics or the equivalent by examination 

General Education Requirements

• A total of ten courses, consisting of one foundation course and one second-level course in an approved sequence from each of the five curricular areas 
• No more than 6 credit hours may be taken in the same discipline 

Major Requirements

• 48 credit hours with grades of C or better 

Course Requirements

Core Courses (24 credit hours)

• ANTH-250 Human Origins 5:2 (3) 
• ANTH-251 Perspectives in Cultural Anthropology (3) 
• ANTH-253 Introduction to Archaeology (3) 
• ANTH-254 Language and Culture (3) 
• ANTH-340 Contemporary Ethnographics (3) 
• ANTH-339 Culture Area Analysis (3) 
• ANTH-450 Anthropology of Power (3) 
• ANTH-552 Anthropological Research Methods (3) 

Fieldwork (3 credit hours)

• 3 credits from the following: 

ANTH-392 Cooperative Education Field Experience (3–9) 

ANTH-491 Internship in Anthropology (1–6) 

ANTH-550 Ethnographic Field Methods (3) 

ANTH-560 Summer Field School: Archaeology (3–9) 

Other fieldwork, including study abroad programs or community service learning projects, may be used with the approval of the student’s advisor 

Elective Courses (21 credit hours)

• 21 credit hours from the following with a minimum of 12 credit hours at the 300 level or above: 

ANTH-210 Roots of Racism and Interracial Harmony 3:2 (3) 

ANTH-215 Sex, Gender, and Culture 3:2 (3) 

ANTH-220 Living in Multicultural Societies 3:2 (3) 

ANTH-225 Language and Human Experience 1:2 (3) 

ANTH-230 India: Its Living Traditions 3:2 (3) 

ANTH-235 Early America: The Buried Past 2:2 (3) 

ANTH-334 Environmental Justice (3) 

ANTH-337 Anthropology of Genocide (3) 

ANTH-350 Special Topics (3) 

ANTH-430 Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion (3) 

ANTH-431 Taboos (3) 

ANTH-498 Senior Thesis in Anthropology (3–6) 

ANTH-531 Topics in Archaeology (3) 

ANTH-532 Changing Culture (3) 

ANTH-534 Class and Culture (3) 

ANTH-535 Ethnicity and Nationalism (3) 

ANTH-537 Topics in Language and Culture (3) 

ANTH-542 Reinventing Applied Anthropology (3) 

ANTH-543 Anthropology of Development (3) 

ANTH-544 Topics in Public Anthropology (3) 

University Honors Program

All University Honors students must complete at least 12 credit hours of advanced-level (300-level and above) Honors courses including a 3 to 6 credit hour Honors Senior Capstone Project. Students may graduate with University Honors in the major if they complete at least 12 advanced-level Honors courses including the Senior Capstone Project in the department. Each department has three levels of University Honors requirements: Level I Options (100-200-level Honors classes); Level II Options (300-level and above Honors classes); and Level III Options (Honors Senior Capstone). The department Honors coordinator advises students in the University Honors Program regarding departmental options. For more information, go to www.american.edu/academic.depts/honors/ . 

Combined B.A. in Anthropology and M.A. in Public Anthropology

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs. Undergraduate students may complete up to 3 credits for every 9 credits required for the graduate degree that may be applied to the requirements for both degree programs. The department that oversees the graduate program the student enters will determine if the courses the undergraduate student completes will satisfy master’s degree requirements. Bachelor’s/master’s students must complete at least 18 in-residence credit hours at the graduate level after the bachelor’s degree is earned and maintain continuous, sequential enrollment in the two programs. 

This program allows qualified students to complete both the B.A. in Anthropology and the M.A. in Public Anthropology. 

Requirements

• The standards for admission to the undergraduate major must first be satisfied. Undergraduate majors ordinarily apply for admission to the combined B.A./M.A. program at the end of their junior year. Admission decisions follow the procedures used to evaluate graduate applicants to the M.A. program. Interest in this program should be discussed with members of the faculty before formal application is begun. 
• All requirements for the B.A. in Anthropology 

Undergraduate students may apply up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate-level course work in anthropology to satisfy the requirements for both degrees. 

• All requirements for the M.A. in Public Anthropology, including a minimum of 18 credit hours completed in residence in graduate status after the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Students must finish the master’s degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program.