Anthropology, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

worldstudies.vcu.edu/academics/degrees/bs-in-anthropology/

The Bachelor of Science in Anthropology curriculum seeks to ensure that each student develops a solid foundation in the basic principles, theories and techniques of analysis. Since students majoring in anthropology vary in their interests and career goals, the curriculum allows for a great deal of flexibility developing individual courses of study. Students who are interested in pursuing graduate studies in anthropology will usually take more than the minimum number of upper-level courses. The department provides opportunities for involvement in faculty research through its course offerings, which include independent study, internships and honors research.

The Bachelor of Science in Anthropology requires a minimum of 120 credits, with at least 35 of those credits in anthropology averaging a minimum GPA of 2.25. Students must take at least 25 credits in upper-level (300, 400 or 500) ANTH courses. However, a student with a particular anthropological interest that can be best served by courses without the ANTH prefix may suggest a relevant selection of up to six elective credits from such classes to be counted toward the major. Alternatively, in addition to the three experiential credits fulfilling collateral requirements, a maximum of six credits from internships and/or independent studies may be counted toward the elective degree requirements. A plan for such selection must be presented to and approved by the program coordinator in the student's junior year or, for those students entering the program at the junior level, at a time stipulated by the program coordinator.

In order to begin upper-level course work in any foreign language, students must have consecutively completed 101, 102, 201, and 202 or 205 courses in a respective foreign language or prove the equivalent proficiency level through placement testing.

Anthropology majors are strongly encouraged to complete a minor, preferably one offered in World Studies. Students should refer to the listing in the general description of the School of World Studies.

Student learning outcomes

1. Global knowledge, citizenship and ethics: Anthropology graduates will recognize and describe cultural, economic, informational and social interdependencies that exist among nations and cultures today, including an ethical understanding of the effects of such factors as racial, ethnic and gender differences.
2. Scientific and anthropological literacy: Students will evaluate and assess scientific findings by employing concepts and methodologies of modern science as applied to anthropological questions. 
3. Advanced oral and written communication skills: Graduates will effectively communicate ideas about anthropological tenets in both oral and written formats. 
4. Research methods and design skills: Students will demonstrate the ability to design appropriate anthropological research questions and apply research methodologies to answer those questions. 
5. Critical-thinking skills: Graduates will critically evaluate their own cultural and biological histories and experiences, as well as those of others. 
6. Experiential learning: Students will synthesize and apply anthropological tenets in experiential learning opportunities including study abroad, internships, service-learning, independent studies or field schools. 

Upon completing this program, students will know and know how to do the following:

The goal of the anthropology program is to impart to students a global awareness and appreciation of the full range of human biological and cultural diversity across time and space, as well as of the underlying similarities derived from humans’ common evolutionary origins.

Students gain proficiency in the knowledge and application of disciplinary and subdisciplinary research methods and analytic concepts, and are trained to develop a holistic and comparative perspective on the human condition, with regard to the cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic dimensions of anthropological inquiry.

Experiential learning and study abroad

Each student completing a degree program within the School of World Studies is required to complete a World ePass as part of their experiential learning requirement; students are also encouraged to participate in a study abroad program. For more information on the ePass portfolio and study abroad opportunities, students may visit the overview page for the School of World Studies. 

Honors in anthropology

Majors in the anthropology program may earn a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in anthropology. Participation in honors thesis research is available to outstanding senior majors and involves the preparation of a senior thesis during the last two semesters of the baccalaureate degree program.

In order to participate in the program, students must meet program entrance requirements, identify a project mentor and receive approval for a project proposal. Honors will be awarded following acceptance of the thesis by the Honors Thesis Committee. The committee will consist of, at a minimum, the project mentor, one other member of the anthropology faculty and one faculty member from outside of the anthropology program.

The project may involve any recognized anthropological topic, theory and/or method that promises to enhance the student's disciplinary perspective, skills and creativity. The project may involve an extension of work initiated in a course, an entirely new project or a collaborative project with the faculty mentor. If the project is an extension of work initiated in a course or developed collaboratively with the mentor, independent, separate, substantial development of the topic in the thesis should be evident in the final product. The thesis should reflect work of high quality for a senior-level course.

Students majoring in anthropology are eligible to participate in the departmental honors program if they have maintained a minimum 3.0 overall GPA and a minimum of 3.3 GPA in the major. Application materials consist of transcripts documenting the required GPAs, a five-to-seven page proposal (including a history and description of the proposed project, an annotated bibliography of relevant sources, a work plan, and a schedule for completion of the project) and a letter of endorsement from the faculty member who has agreed to act as project mentor. Applications must be made and project approval received no later than the first two weeks of classes in the semester in which the project will commence. A departmental committee will review the application materials, meet with the candidate to discuss the project proposal as needed and render an admission decision. Once admitted, program participants will enroll in ANTH 497. The course may be included in the required hours for the major.

Students will complete six credit hours (over two sequential semesters in their senior year) in ANTH 497 and ANTH 498. The student's work will be evaluated by the project mentor and a departmental committee at the end of the first semester (ANTH 497) and a grade will be assigned. If allowed to continue, the student will enroll in ANTH 498 the subsequent semester. At the completion of ANTH 498, the completed senior honors thesis will be submitted to the HTC following its acceptance by the faculty mentor and confirmation that the candidate has maintained the requisite GPAs.

Upon submission of the thesis, the student will make an oral presentation (to be made no later than two weeks before the end of classes) to the HTC and other faculty as deemed appropriate, summarizing the research procedures and findings. The HTC will then evaluate the thesis for the award of honors. In order to receive honors, the thesis must be evaluated as deserving of a grade of A. Whether or not honors are awarded, a final grade will be submitted for ANTH 498. The awarding of honors for the thesis will earn an Honors Certificate from the department and notation of the student's standing as an honors graduate on the final grade transcript. Students must submit a final copy of the thesis to both the department and the VCU Libraries no later than the last day of classes.

Degree requirements for Anthropology, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.

ANTH electives

What follows is a sample plan that meets the prescribed requirements within a four-year course of study at VCU. Please contact your adviser before beginning course work toward a degree.

Freshman year
Fall semester		Hours
ANTH 103	Introduction to Anthropology (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and AOI for global perspectives)	3
MATH 131	Introduction to Contemporary Mathematics (or higher level MATH course; satisfies general education quantitative foundations)	3
UNIV 101	Introduction to the University	1
UNIV 111 Play course video for Introduction to Focused Inquiry: Investigation and Communication	Introduction to Focused Inquiry: Investigation and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations)	3
Foreign language 101		3
Open elective		3
	Term Hours:	16
Spring semester
ANTH 105/INTL 104	Introduction to Archaeology	3
HUMS 202	Choices in a Consumer Society	1
STAT 210	Basic Practice of Statistics	3
UNIV 112 Play course video for Focused Inquiry II	Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations)	3
Foreign language 102		3
General education course		3
	Term Hours:	16
Sophomore year
Fall semester
ANTH 210 or ANTH 220 or ANTH 230	Biological Anthropology or Cultural Anthropology or Anthropological Linguistics	3
BIOL 101	Biological Concepts (satisfies general education BOK for natural sciences and AOI for scientific and logical reasoning)	3
UNIV 200	Advanced Focused Inquiry: Literacies, Research and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations)	3
Foreign language 201		3
General education course		3
	Term Hours:	15
Spring semester
ANTH 210 or ANTH 220 or ANTH 230	Biological Anthropology or Cultural Anthropology or Anthropological Linguistics	3
Experiential fine arts		1-3
Foreign language 202		3
General education course		3
General education course		3
	Term Hours:	13-15
Junior year
Fall semester
ANTH 301/BIOL 341	Human Evolution	4
ANTH 302	Archaeological Theory	3
Open electives		9
	Term Hours:	16
Spring semester
On-campus or study abroad semester:
ANTH 399	Junior Seminar	1
Methods requirement		3
Open electives		12
	Term Hours:	16
Summer semester
Study abroad, recommended; credits completed during study abroad will decrease open electives needed in subsequent semesters		0-6
	Term Hours:	0-6
Senior year
Fall semester
ANTH 454	Theory in Cultural Anthropology	3
ANTH 493 or ANTH 398	Anthropology Internship (or anthropology elective) or Field Investigations in Anthropology	1-3
Major or open elective		3
Methods requirement		3
Open electives		3
World ePass site creation
	Term Hours:	13-15
Spring semester
ANTH 490	Anthropology Senior Capstone	3
ANTH 493 or ANTH 398	Anthropology Internship (or anthropology elective) or Field Investigations in Anthropology	1-3
WRLD 495	World ePass Portfolio	0
Major electives		6
Open electives		5-6
	Term Hours:	15-18
	Total Hours:	120-133

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.

Accelerated B.S. and M.P.H.

The accelerated B.S. and M.P.H. program allows academically talented students to earn both the B.S in Anthropology and Master of Public Health, concentration in applied public health; cancer prevention and control science; epidemiology; health communications; or health policy in a minimum of five years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of the undergraduate program. Students in the program may count up to 12 hours of graduate courses toward both the B.S. and M.P.H. degrees. Thus, the two degrees may be earned with a minimum of 153 credits rather than the 165 credits necessary if the two degrees are pursued separately.

Students holding these degrees will be well prepared for careers in public health agencies, nonprofit organizations, policy institutes and community health initiatives where cultural fluency and analytical reasoning are essential. The program combines a strong foundation in anthropology, drawing on its holistic, multifaceted approach to human culture and society, with advanced knowledge of public health practice and research. This interdisciplinary training prepares graduates to address complex health challenges that require not only scientific and policy expertise but also careful consideration of a range of contextual factors and a willingness to engage with diverse cultural perspectives and value systems.

Entrance to the accelerated program

Interested undergraduate students should consult with their adviser as early as possible to receive specific information about the accelerated program, determine academic eligibility and submit (no later than two semesters prior to graduating with a baccalaureate degree, that is, before the end of the spring semester of their junior year) an Accelerated Program Declaration Form to be approved by the graduate program director. Space may be limited and academically qualified students may not receive approval if capacity has been reached.

Minimum qualifications for entrance to the accelerated program include completion of 90 undergraduate credit hours including ANTH 301 with a grade of B or better and overall GPA of 3.0; and a GPA of 3.0 in anthropology course work.

Once enrolled in the accelerated program, students must meet the standards of performance applicable to graduate students as described in the “Satisfactory academic progress” section of the Bulletin, including maintaining a 3.0 GPA. Guidance to students in the accelerated program is provided by both the undergraduate anthropology adviser and the M.P.H. education administrator.

Admission to the graduate program

Entrance to the accelerated program enables students to take the approved shared courses that will apply to the undergraduate and graduate degrees. However, entry into the accelerated program via an approved Accelerated Program Declaration Form does not constitute application or admission into the graduate program. Admission to the graduate program requires a separate step that occurs through a formal application. In order to continue pursuing the master’s degree after the baccalaureate degree is conferred, accelerated students must follow the admission to graduate study requirements outlined in the VCU Bulletin.

Degree requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Anthropology degree will be awarded upon completion of a minimum of 120 credits and the satisfactory completion of all undergraduate degree requirements as stated in the Undergraduate Bulletin.

A maximum of 12 graduate credits may be taken prior to completion of the baccalaureate degree. The graduate credits count as 12 credits of elective coursework for the undergraduate degree. The courses are shared credits with the graduate program, meaning they will be applied to both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements.

The graduate public health courses that may be taken as an undergraduate, once a student is admitted to the program, are:

Recommended course sequence/plan of study

The recommended plans of study are specific to the B.S in Anthropology and the Master of Public Health with a concentration in applied public health. Students in the accelerated program may enter into any M.P.H. concentration and will work with the M.P.H. education administrator on the plan of study, once admitted into the graduate program.