Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of people in their cultural context and the examination of all aspects of patterned social behavior. The discipline is worldwide in scope and encompasses all aspects of human biological and social life from earliest times to the present. It is a broad, holistic field that seeks to understand human adaptation to natural and social environments.

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.

Anthropology includes four subfields: cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology and linguistics. Undergraduates may concentrate their studies in one of these four subfields or pursue a focus in an interdisciplinary track with another major or minor. A Bachelor of Arts is earned in anthropology rather than in any one subfield.

An undergraduate major in anthropology provides students with a broad-based liberal arts education and prepares students to work in an increasingly complex world. Anthropology majors learn about different groups of people, their prehistory and their biological and cultural diversity through disciplines that combine social science, natural science and the humanities. Many undergraduate anthropology majors go on to graduate school in the social sciences, while others use anthropology to prepare themselves for professional careers in other disciplines. In a world of increasing globalization and need for effective international relations and understanding, anthropology is a highly relevant liberal arts and sciences major for students interested in pursuing careers in education, government, health, business and law.

Coursework for the Major

The major requires a minimum of 34 semester credits in anthropology and all coursework must be completed with minimum grades of C. A minimum of 18 credits of anthropology coursework must be completed at UF.

Required Coursework

• ANT 2410 Cultural Anthropology, 3 credits
• ANT 2140 Introduction to World Archaeology, 3 credits
• ANT 3514C Introduction to Biological Anthropology, 4 credits
• ANT 3620 Language and Culture, 3 credits
• ANT 4931 Anthropology Capstone
• Of the remaining 18 credits, 9 must be 3000 level and above and 6 must be 4000 level. The remaining 3 credits can be at any level.

Related Coursework

In addition to the 34 credits of anthropology coursework, majors are also required to earn a minimum grade of C in STA 2023 Introduction to Statistics 1.

There are no prerequisites for 2000-level courses. Students in the honors program may take honors sections of any offered anthropology class. Any student at the sophomore level and above with the appropriate prerequisites or permission of the instructor may enroll in graduate-level courses. Students are encouraged to take courses that address theory and method in the discipline, in addition to survey courses and area studies.

Overseas Studies

Students concentrating in any subfield, particularly cultural anthropology and/or archaeology, are also encouraged to complete either an ethnographic study abroad program or an archaeological field school before their senior year.

Critical Tracking

Critical Tracking records each student’s progress in courses that are required for entry to each major. Please note the critical-tracking requirements below on a per-semester basis.

For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements: Structure of a CLAS Degree.

Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.

Semester 1

• 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 2

• Complete 1 anthropology course
• 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 3

• Complete 1 additional anthropology course or STA 2023
• 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 4

• Complete 1 additional anthropology course
• 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
• 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 5

• 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
• 2.0 UF GPA required

Model Semester Plan

Students are expected to complete the writing requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) and diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another general education requirement (typically, GE-C, H or S).

Related Anthropology Programs

• Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
• Anthropology minor
• Anthropology minor, UF Online