People are unlike any other living thing on Earth. We develop complex written languages, weave together diverse cultures, and question why we do the things we do. Anthropologists seek answers to who we are as people, how we came to be that way, and how modernity exerts differential forces on the variety of humanity that exists around the world. As an Anthropology major in the General Anthropology track, you’ll study humankind from its beginnings millions of years ago to the present day. You'll acquire a strong foundation in all four subdisciplines of Anthropology: sociocultural, biological, linguistic, and archaeology. The flexibility of enough free electives in this major will allow you to add a double major, a minor, or an internship. Anthropology internships have included studying tumbilis (Swahili for blue monkeys) in the forests of western Kenya, working in the museum laboratory at the Smithsonian Institution, working in forensic laboratories, easing the transition for immigrants new to the United States, and helping staff members in human service agencies.

The B.A. degree in Anthropology in the General Anthropology track prepares you for work in this field or for graduate school. Your future may lead you to a career in a museum, on the staff of a government agency, in the marketing section of a corporation, or on a project run by a nongovernmental organization. More students are choosing anthropology as a major, partly because of growing job opportunities. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, anthropology jobs are expected to grow by 28 percent between 2011 and 2018, just shy of the 30 percent growth rate predicted for software engineers and engineering technicians. Applied and practicing anthropologists are at historic employment levels in the public sector. Trained anthropologists work in international development, cultural resource management, forensic and physical anthropology, natural resource management, and defense and security sectors.