School of Earth, Environment and Society

Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of biological and cultural diversity across time and space, from the primates and our bipedal ancestors to human societies in prehistory and the modern world. As anthropologists, we have a keen understanding of the complexities of our past, the interconnections between biology and culture, and the urgent social problems of our times.

At PSU, you can develop expertise in topics as varied as cultural heritage, human-environment interactions, climate change, biodiversity conservation, design and user experience, structural racism, violence, migration, primatology, gender and sexuality, food systems, globalization, and human health and medicine. 

Gain knowledge and skills through a variety of classroom, online, lab and internship opportunities. A degree in anthropology opens doors to a variety of careers with federal and state agencies, NGOs, tribes, public/community health organizations, biomedical research institutions, consulting firms, activist groups, museums, corporations, academia and more.

Programs

Two students on laptap, with articulated skeletons displayed in background

Anthropology BA/BS/Minor

Gain a foundational understanding of how humans operate and interact in a global perspective. Our program supports three subfields: archaeology, biological anthropology and sociocultural anthropology. The minor is useful for students majoring in business, pre-med, history, geography, to name a few.

Two students sifting through dirt at field site in forest

Cultural Resource Management Undergraduate Certificate

Learn how to identify, document, interpret and manage cultural resources; better understand preservation laws and how they apply to your work; and learn appropriate strategies for engaging and consulting with Indigenous communities, descendant groups and other communities.

Student filling out tags that represent migrants crossing the border

Anthropology Bachelor’s + Master’s

With a B+M program, you can share up to 20 graduate credits between your bachelor’s and master’s degree in anthropology.

Student analyzing soil samples at field site

Anthropology MA/MS

Specialize in one of the major subfields, while choosing from three tracks: a thesis track for those interested in research and/or intending to pursue a Ph.D., or the internship and skills tracks designed to prepare you for professional employment related to applied anthropology.

Pathways in Anthropology

Explore where a degree in anthropology can take you. It could be a foreign country, corporate office — or both. Our pathways are not rigid sets of requirements but simply road maps through our diverse course offerings. We encourage you to discuss these opportunities with your faculty advisor to find the pathway that is right for you.

For those with interests in archaeology and cultural heritage, anthropology explores the past from excavations to exhibits. 

Career pathways include archaeology and cultural resource management for Tribes, and for federal, and state agencies; museum collections management/curation, museum education, and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act coordination; education and interpretation positions for federal and state agencies; natural resource management for Tribes, federal, and state agencies; and graduate studies in anthropology, museum studies, and related fields.

In addition to the major’s core requirements, recommended anthropology electives include:

  • Anth 313U Native American-Settler Relations
  • Anth 452 Archaeological Lab Methods
  • Anth 454 Archeological Field School (Alternative: Anth 453
  • Archaeological Field Methods)
  • Anth 456 Cultural and Heritage Resources Management
  • Anth 460 Public and Community Archaeology

Recommended non-anthropology electives include:

  • NAS 346 Contemporary Issues in Indian Country
  • ESM 435/535 Natural Resource Policy and Management
  • NAS 411 Nationhood: Tribal Sovereignty, Governance & Policy
  • NAS 442 Decolonizing Methodologies: Insurgent Research and Indigenous Education
  • Hst 493 Introduction to Public History

The corporate and business world needs anthropologists, too. Use your research skills to find out how products and services could be improved to better meet the needs of consumers.

Career pathways include human-centered design and user-experience research; design firms; architecture firms; urban planning; technology companies; advertising and marketing; international development; non-profits; community organizations; and museums.

In addition to the major’s core requirements, recommended anthropology electives include:

  • Anth 340 Design, Politics and Society
  • Anth 379 Practicing Forensic Science
  • Anth 415 Applied Anthropology
  • Anth 418 Environmental Anthropology
  • Anth 440 Design Anthropology

Recommended non-anthropology electives include:

  • Des 302U Design is Everywhere
  • ETM 356U Introduction to Human-Centered Design
  • BA 495 Business Strategy
  • USP 430 Participatory Methods for Community Development

Are you interested in making the world more just? Gain the skills to tackle both macro-level problems of conflict and global development, as well as local efforts toward social justice in our communities.

Career pathways include international development; nonprofits; community organizations; government; and foreign service.

In addition to the major’s core requirements, recommended anthropology electives include:

  • Anth 379U Practicing Forensic Science (Alternative: Anth 460 Public and Community Archaeology)
  • Anth 415 Applied Anthropology
  • Anth 426 Transnationalism and Migration
  • Anth 432 Gender, Sex, and Sexuality in Anthropological Perspective
  • Anth 490 Anthropology of Violence

Recommended non-anthropology electives include:

  • BA 302 Organizational Behavior
  • CR 307 Conflict Management Skills
  • Intl 490 Global Sustainable Development
  • USP 430 Participatory Research Methods for Community Development

For those with interests in health and medicine, anthropology offers a powerful lens for examining well-being and illness in sociocultural, biological and environmental contexts.

Career pathways include community health; community organizing; global health; health professions; integrated conservation and development; and graduate studies in anthropology, applied anthropology, biology, biomedical sciences and health professions.

In addition to the major’s core requirements, recommended anthropology electives include:

  • Anth 325U Culture, Health, and Healing
  • Anth 333U Anthropology of Food
  • Anth 415 Applied Anthropology
  • Anth 425 Topics in Medical Anthropology
  • Anth 472 The Roots of Human Biology

Recommended non-anthropology electives include:

  • Comm 329U Introduction to Health Communication
  • PHE 350 Health and Health Systems
  • Bi 440 Evolutionary Medicine
  • PHE 478 Program Planning and Evaluation: Needs Assessment and Interventions

Anthropology provides a unique lens for thinking about how people interact with, respond to and bring about changes in the environment. 

Career pathways include governmental agencies, community-based organizations, NGOs and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), and Native American Nations; cultural resources management (CRM) archaeologist; disaster preparedness and response; global development; environmental and social justice activist and advocate; K-12 STEM educator; and graduate studies.

In addition to the major’s core requirements, recommended anthropology electives include:

  • Anth 414 Culture and Ecology
  • Anth 415 Applied Anthropology
  • Anth 418 Environmental Anthropology
  • Anth 458 The Archaeology of Disaster (Alternative: Anth 491: Culture, Vulnerability and Disaster Resilience)
  • Anth 472 The Roots of Human Biology

Recommended non-anthropology electives include:

  • USP 313U Urban Environmental Issues
  • ESM 355U Understanding Environmental Sustainability I
  • Geog 467 Community Resilience in Coupled Socio-Ecological Systems
  • USP 490 Green Economics and Sustainable Development

Do fossils and bones interest you? Osteologists frequently work in the public and private sector as consultants for museums or as scientists for research laboratories and medical investigations.

Career pathways include medicine; dentistry; allied health professions; biomedical sciences; forensics; and graduate studies in biological anthropology or allied disciplines.

In addition to the major’s core requirements, recommended anthropology electives include:

  • Anth 361U The Archaeology of Europe (Alternative: Anth 368U The Archaeology of Oceania)
  • Anth 376U The Neandertals
  • Anth 379U Practicing Forensic Science (Alternative: Anth 479 Forensic Anthropology)
  • Anth 473 Primatology
  • Anth 478 Human Osteology

Recommended non-anthropology electives include:

  • Bi 301-303 Human Anatomy and Physiology sequence
  • Bi 387 Vertebrate Zoology
  • G 430 Life of the Past (Alternative: G 203 Historical Geology)
  • Bi 450 Phylogenetic Biology

Channel your inner Jane Goodall, and study human and non-human primates past and present from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. 

Career pathways include primate conservation; integrated conservation and development; public health; medicine; dentistry; allied health professions; biomedical sciences; and graduate studies in biological anthropology or allied disciplines.

In addition to the major’s core requirements, recommended anthropology electives include:

  • Anth 372 Human Variation
  • Anth 472 The Roots of Human Biology
  • Anth 473 Primatology
  • Anth 477 Primatology Field Methods (Alternative: Anth 478 Human Osteology)
  • Anth 457 Archaeology of Hunter-Gatherers (Alternative: Anth 418 Environmental Anthropology)

Recommended non-anthropology electives include:

  • ESM 356U Understanding Environmental Sustainability II (Alternative: ESM 443 Global Environmental Economics)
  • Bi 358 Evolution
  • Bi 429 Conservation Biology
  • Bi 440 Evolutionary Medicine

It's not enough to do anthropology; it should be shared with the public. Public and community anthropologists focus on taking anthropology to the general public and working with them on projects.

Career pathways include education and interpretation positions; K-12 STEM educator; museum/museum education professional; NGOs; governmental agencies; and media/journalism.

In addition to the major’s core requirements, recommended anthropology electives include:

  • Anth 409 Practicum
  • Anth 415 Applied Anthropology
  • Anth 417 Advanced Topics in Native American Studies
  • Anth 456 Cultural and Heritage Resources Management
  • Anth 460 Public and Community Archaeology

Recommended non-anthropology electives include:

  • Comm 312U Media Literacy
  • Sci 311U Teaching Everyday Science
  • NAS 442 Decolonizing Methodologies: Insurgent Research and Indigenous Education
  • Hst 493 Introduction to Public History