Anthropology
A major in Anthropology provides you with the ability to better understand the cross-cultural encounters you’ll have in our globalized world.
Diverse backgrounds come with differing ideas, products, foods, technology and people. Through your experiences in this program, you will gain critical thought to appreciate, understand, and interact successfully with others. You will have the opportunity to take part in fieldwork courses, which include excavation work and interpreting the findings; internship opportunities, and students organizations like the Anthropology Club.
Anthropology majors work in people-focused careers, which include government policy, human resources, public relations, environmental justice, healthcare fields and more.

What Will I Learn?
- Identify and apply anthropological methods and theories to solving complex social and biological problems at local, regional, and global levels
- Explain the holistic nature of anthropology and demonstrate its power as an analytical and conceptual tool to understand the human condition
- Communicate anthropological ideas effectively and concisely, verbally and in writing, for multiple audiences
- Explain anthropological research methods and theories, and apply these to the analysis and reporting of quantitative and qualitative data
- Employ cross-cultural comparisons over space and time to explain how social constructs such as race, gender, and status are created and challenged
- Gain hands-on experience in designing, conducting, and writing about applied research, community outreach, and service projects
Full list of Anthropology program goals can be found on the Hub for Teaching and Learning site.
Visit the University Catalog:
Learn about degree requirements and coursework for the Anthropology major and minor.
Learn which Dearborn Discovery Core requirements are fulfilled by taking Anthropology courses.
Making the Most of Your Major
There are opportunities to develop skills and connect with others interested in anthropology beyond the classroom. Check out the Anthropology Major Map to get a more detailed, year-by-year view of how you can learn, engage, network and transform your community and prepare for life after graduation.
- The National Association of Student Anthropologists (NASA), the student section of the American Anthropological Association, was founded in 1985 to address graduate and undergraduate student concerns and to promote the interests and involvement of students as anthropologists-in-training.
- The anthropology program sponsors a mentor program in which junior and senior majors assist faculty in teaching introductory classes. Mentors help students use the library, guide students through written assignments and exam preparation, and sometimes lecture or do demonstrations before the class. Participants regularly count this among the high points of their undergraduate experience.
- The Association for Student Anthropologists is an academic club at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. We are a group of undergraduate anthropology students who wish to deepen our exposure to alternate worldviews. We engage with the four fields of anthropology, including cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. Our fundamental goal is for our members to interact with fellow anthropology enthusiasts and apply anthropology beyond the classroom. We meet biweekly throughout the semester to talk anthropology, plan events, and much more. For information about the UM-Dearborn Anthropology Club, email: umd.anthroclub@gmail.com or visit the Club's Facebook page.
- Explore other UM-Dearborn student organizations on VictorsLink.
- Internships, research, and study abroad opportunities are available for anthropology students. Talk with your professors to learn more.
- For students considering a professional career in anthropology, it is strongly recommended that a two-term sequence of Anthropology 398-399 be organized as an apprenticeship in collaboration with an anthropology faculty member.
- ANTH 410 (Archaeological Field School) and ANTH 411 (Archaeological Lab Methods) provide students the opportunity to participate in primary research projects on and off campus.
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Anthropology students frequently present the results of their research at undergraduate research conferences like Meeting of Minds and the Michigan Undergraduate Research Forum, and even at professional meetings.
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Students should contact a professor working in their area of interest to discuss classes, research projects, and independent study possibilities.
- The Archaeology Lab is the site of research programs, archaeological collections, and teaching.
Field School and Field School Scholarship
Field schools teaching anthropological research methods can be life-changing experiences that provide essential training for careers in anthropology as well as practical field research experience applicable to other professions. Field schools take place all over the world and provide students with training in anthropological methods in archaeology, human paleontology, bioarchaeology, ethnology, linguistics, and primatology. UM-Dearborn students have attended field schools in Australia, Jordan, Kenya, Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, France, Ireland, and various sites in the United States. These programs are not required for an Anthropology major or minor, but we encourage you to consider the possibility of such a program.
UM-Dearborn’s Anthropology program helps provide these experiences in two ways. We offer a Field School Scholarship that helps students subsidize the costs of attending a field school in their chosen area. The scholarship program is competitive, and preference is given to students majoring or minoring in anthropology. Anthropology faculty also run their own field schools both locally during the term and internationally over the summer that can be elected for UM-Dearborn credit (see ANTH 410).
For additional information about the Field School and Field School Scholarship, contact: Brian McKenna, Ph.D.
Anthropology prepares students with the skills necessary in the modern workplace. Career Services offers assistance with job searching, resumes, interviews or graduate school applications.
General Program Information
- Bachelor of Arts - Major/Minor/Honors
- Anthropology Three-Year Course Cycle
- Internship and research opportunities available
- Scholarships available
Full-time Anthropology Faculty
John Chenoweth
Rose Wellman
Anthropology Student Video
Anthropology is the study of humans -- their language, culture, and how they develop over time.— ALAA ABOUHASHIM, ANTHROPOLOGY
Department of Behavioral Sciences
4901 Evergreen Road
Dearborn, MI 48128
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