Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

Anthropology: the holistic study of humankind

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Credit hours: 120

Full-time, part-time

on-campus with some online courses available

Start terms: fall, spring, summer

Current bachelor degree student information

Anthropology is the study of humankind in all of our complexity—past and present, home or abroad, in our cultural behaviors and in our genes. In an era of escalating global connections and conflicts, no other discipline prepares you better to be a citizen of the world than Anthropology.

Anthropology comprises the entire human experience, including societies, cultures, and behaviors. It considers human beings as biological and social entities and seeks to explain both diversities and commonalities of peoples and cultures. Through research and analysis, you can understand the elements that bind people together, including human origins, ideologies, language, health, art, faith, social justice, and technology.

You will gain a variety of skills and practical research methods which will be applied in laboratory and field studies to investigate complex and multifaceted topics. You can find anthropologists in every corner of the globe and in every type of industry—whether at Google, Netflix, museums, nonprofits, zoos, the National Park Service, or the Centers for Disease Control. With a focus on understanding human behavior, cultural difference, and human nature—past and present--Anthropology gives you the tools to make a difference in the world.

Program Features

Opportunities Abound

Anthropology provides opportunities to apply your knowledge right here in the heart of Denver. Our classes offer first-hand experience with the human condition up-close. For example, you might:

Explore labor conditions in Colorado’s cannabis industry
Design a survey to support legislation expanding health care access to immigrants
Talk with neighborhood activists about how gentrification affects them
Interview Indigenous leaders about their opinions about the legalization of psychedelics
Take a field trip to a zoo to learn about our primate relatives
Participate in a field school to study the footprints of humans’ earliest-known ancestor
Advocate for equity and social justice through analysis of wholistic data sources

Community, Engaged Faculty, and Mentorship

More than just a major, Anthropology offers a unique way of viewing the world and a community of like-minded spirits. Plan your future and explore the mysteries of human behaviors and of human nature.

Our faculty deeply cares about their students and give you undivided attention and guidance. They help you plan your future and explore the mysteries of human behaviors and of human nature with you.

Want to know how your degree can help you get a job? Our Alumni Mentorship Program pairs you with a graduate in a field of your interest.

Want to put your skills in Anthropology to use in field trips with other like-minded students? Our Anthropology and Experimental Prehistory Club will give you a chance to visit a mammoth graveyard or throw atlatls.

Careers

What can you do with an Anthropology degree?

A bachelor’s degree in anthropology can prepare you for a wide range of careers. The study of Anthropology comprises the entire human experience, including societies, cultures, and behaviors. Through research and analysis, you can understand the elements that bind people together, including human origins, ideologies, language, health, art, faith, social justice, and technology.

Learn more about Anthropology careers

Anthropology is a diverse discipline with creative career opportunities in academia, business, government, and nonprofits. Because we promote cultural understanding and provide a historical perspective on humankind, our graduates are highly sought after in a variety of fields. The hands-on curriculum will equip you with high demand skills including fieldwork, participant observation, archival research, and quantitative analysis.

Our graduates go on to work in:

nonprofit organizations
community-based groups
businesses and international affairs
government agencies
public administration and public affairs
environmental design and city planning
health care and medical professions
education and research settings
museums
zoos

Our graduates have become:

Archaeologist
Cultural Resource Manager
Community Manager
User Experience (UX) Researcher
Computational Anthropologist
Digital Curator
Program Curator
Research Scientist
Museum Educator
Archivist
Health Scientist
Forensic Anthropologist
Social Scientist
Policy Analyst

While not explicitly necessary, our anthropology undergraduates often stay at CU Denver or go on to another university to pursue a graduate degree to advance their knowledge and remain competitive in the job market.

Curriculum

You have the opportunity to explore the human and pre-human past through archaeology, the history of how humans became what we are through biological anthropology, and the human present through cultural anthropology.

Majoring in Anthropology: 40 hours

Our introductory courses acquaint you with the basic history, methods, and perspectives of Anthropology, whereas our upper division and elective courses feature in-depth, topical, and theoretical investigations into specific dimensions of the human experience.

Many of our courses allow you to be involved with community-engaged, hands-on, applied work in your own backyard. Featured topics include:

Cultural Diversity in the Modern World—gather oral histories from family and community members and present those stories in a compelling way
Immigrant Health—conduct fieldwork projects with immigrant and refugee-serving agencies
Zooarchaeology—through hands-on lab work identifying and analyzing animal skeletons recovered from archaeological sites, learn about the biological and cultural evolution of human behavior
History of Human Environmental Impacts—assess the claim that environmental and ecological factors have played a key role in human societies through a longitudinal and cross-cultural lens

You have the opportunity to pursue an internship related to your field of study to further apply your learning.

Specializations

Explore the courses that interest you the most and we do not require you to choose a specialization. However, we do offer three distinct specializations to help guide your educational journey:

Archaeology

Understand the past through historical and pre-historic materials, architectural features, landscapes and remains.

Biological/Physical Anthropology

Human and non-human primate evolution, ecology, behavior, and biocultural variation.

Cultural/Medical Anthropology

The social patterns and processes within and across cultures, and the factors the influence people’s health and well-being.

CU Denver Core: 34-40 Hours

You’ll be educated in:

English and mathematics
International and cultural diversity perspectives
Arts and humanities
Behavioral, physical, and social sciences

College of Liberal Arts and Science Core—15 Hours

These courses give you a better understanding of the issues and skills you need to succeed. Topics include:

Logic, Language, and Scientific Reasoning
Psychology
Writing for the Sciences
Public Health

Minor in Anthropology

Non-Anthropology majors can add a minor in Anthropology to their degree by completing at least 18 hours of specified coursework. You will need to see your CLAS advisor to declare this minor.

Topics include:

Evolution
Adaptation
Archaeology
Biological Anthropology
Cultural Diversity
World Prehistory

Double Majors

You may be interested in a double major. Common combinations include:

Certificates

Gain additional skills and make yourself more marketable by adding a certificate. Many students choose to add:

Geographic Information Science (GIS) Certificate

Gain proficiency in the application of spatial thinking, geographic information science, and geo-technologies in the social and physical sciences, spanning the natural, built, and human environments and emphasizing human-environment interconnections.

Learn about the Geographic Information Science certificate

Ethnographic Methods Certificate

Coming soon.

Learning outcomes

Demonstrate familiarity with the history of anthropological thoughts, theories, and current major schools of thought within the discipline.

Demonstrate familiarity with human diversity, particularly people and cultures in at least one geographic region of the world over time (ELO of intercultural knowledge and competence, civic knowledge and engagement on a local and global level).

Apply anthropological research methods in collecting, organizing, and analyzing data in at least one subfield of anthropology (ELO of inquiry and analysis, critical thinking, quantitative literacy, information literacy, problem solving, ethical reasoning and action, foundations and skills for lifelong learning and integrative and applied learning).

Demonstrate competence in reading and critical evaluation of information from the perspective of behavioral science and from the perspectives of anthropological theory and ethics, thus fulfilling requirements for the well-rounded liberal arts education (ELO of critical thinking, reading, quantitative literacy, information literacy, problem solving, ethnical reasoning and action, foundations and skills for lifelong learning, and integrative and applied learning).

Demonstrate their ability to effectively communicate their thoughts orally and in writing (ELO of written communication and oral communication).

Students will demonstrate an understanding of Anthropological ethics. This includes being able to identify and articulate the purpose, use and relevancy of a study, and being well versed in issues of informed consent, ownership of data/images, rights of descendent and/or local populations, rights and access to archaeological/paleoanthropological sites, and the protection of vulnerable populations.

Tuition

The cost of tuition for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Anthropology is different for in-state and out-of-state students. See the link for the current table of rates.

Residents of western states may qualify for reduced tuition rates. The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program requires students to maintain current residency in WICHE state until degree completion.

Learn about the WUE program

Scholarships

Each year, CU Denver undergraduate students are awarded over $30 million in scholarships from institutional, local, state, and national sources. Learn more, and apply here.

Other opportunities

The department of Anthropology and other departments have paid positions (both in the work-study program and outside of it) which may include jobs as graders, teaching assistants, and learning assistants. Please expect to have to apply. Learn more here.

Admission Requirements

If you are an incoming freshman to CU Denver (in-state, out-of-state, and international applicants), you can apply through either the Common Application or the Milo Application. Transfer students will need to submit the Milo Application.

Incoming first-year students

CU Denver requires that students complete the Colorado Higher Education Admission Requirements (HEAR). You will not have to meet all Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS) for admission, but you will need to complete CU Denver coursework by graduation.

Transfer Students

We have strong connections with other four-year and community colleges. If you have completed more than 24 hours of transferable coursework, you will be evaluated for admission on the basis of your college GPA without regard to your high school performance. If you have fewer than 24 hours, you will be evaluated based on both your high school and college GPAs. For more information and to plan your transfer, see transfer admissions in the admissions office.

Bridge to Bachelors

If you are in your first or second semester at one of the participating Colorado community colleges and plan to transfer to CU Denver after earning your associate degree, CU Denver’s Admission Promise might be a great program for you. To qualify, you must meet the criteria including meeting regularly with your assigned CU academic advisor while you are attending community college. See the promise page for details and the link to the eligibility questionnaire.

International Students

You will need to begin your application through the Office of International Affairs. They will help you manage your application process.

Apply to CU Denver

Application deadlines

Spring

Domestic Application: January 1
International Applications: Priority is September 15, and Final is October 15

Summer

Domestic Applications: May 15
International Applications: Priority is January 15, and Final is March 15

Fall

Domestic Applications: August 1
International Applications: Priority is March 15, and Final is May 15

Anthropology Department News

Jamie Hodgkins Publishes Article on Late Pleistocene Prey Mobility and its Implications for Neanderthal Ranging Behaviors

Jamie Hodgkins, Associate Professor of Anthropology, published an article in Quaternary Science Reviews on Late Pleistocene prey mobility and its implications for Neandertal ranging behaviors.

Courtney Manthey-Pierce and Anna Warrener Publish Article on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Courtney Manthey-Pierce, who received her MA from the Department of Anthrology, coauthored an article with her thesis advisor, Anna Warrener, Assistant Professor. The article shows that Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome may have evolved because it provides protection against fractures. They tested this hypothesis by examining rates of fracture occurrence in female athletes. Courtney is also a Junior Fellow with the Human Biology Association.

Insight into Pandemic Eldercare Impacts for Mexican Immigrants from Sarah Horton

Sarah Horton, Professor and Graduate Program Director for the Department of Anthropology, recently published an article based on interviews conducted with undocumented Mexican immigrants about their pandemic eldercare burdens. “Praying for More Time: Mexican Immigrants’ Pandemic Eldercare Dilemmas,” published in Medical Anthropology Quarterly, details how they struggled to help elderly parents obtain health care despite their own exclusion from pandemic relief.

Bound to fail

For almost as long as cannabis has been legal in Colorado, Marty Otañez has been studying it. Not the drug itself, but issues surrounding it, such as the health and safety of workers in the industry and ways to reduce stigma for users.

Otañez is an associate professor of anthropology at CU Denver. One of his latest projects involves conducting hour-long video interviews with people about their experiences with psychedelics.

Inclusion is our value

CU Denver is home to one of the most diverse student populations in Colorado.

Join your choice of 100+ student groups and organizations which support your identity and interests
Your department and faculty are committed to the pursuit of equity and inclusion in the classroom, lab, and beyond
Learn more at our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Find your people

Campus can feel like a huge place. We help you find your people by offering the experience of a more traditional, small liberal arts program—for a fraction of the cost. We offer a variety of clubs and networking opportunities.

Anthropology Showcases Cultural Variation

Through my time as an undergraduate anthropology student at CU Denver, I have embraced the words of Anthony Kwame Harrison, who said, “the discipline does not showcase diverse human lifeways to further exoticize those who live differently from us. In contrast, anthropology showcases cultural variation to illustrate the possibilities and potential for human life, and to demonstrate that the way of doing things we know best is neither normal nor necessarily right. It is just one way among a multitude of others. “Everybody does it but we all do it different”; this is culture”.

Mac Ervin, 2024
Field Interviewer

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