Best Research Universities for Anthropology Degrees

BEST FOR ANTHROPOLOGY RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES

The best anthropology research universities are those with rich histories of influence, proven through the work produced by the program’s faculty and alumni. Beyond demonstrating scholarly impact in the field, the best anthropology degree programs maximize your opportunities to interact with outstanding anthropology faculty.

Top 10 Research Universities Anthropology Programs

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  1. Harvard University
  2. University of California, Berkeley
  3. Columbia University
  4. University of Chicago
  5. Stanford University
  6. Yale University
  7. Princeton University
  8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  9. University of Michigan
  10. University of Pennsylvania
  1. University of Florida 30%
  2. University of Texas at Austin 29%
  3. University of Virginia 21%
  4. University of Michigan 20%
  5. University of California, Berkeley 14%
  6. University of Southern California 13%
  7. New York University 13%
  8. Washington University in St. Louis 13%
  9. Emory University 13%
  10. University of California, Los Angeles 11%
  1. University of California, Berkeley 19 to 1
  2. University of California, Los Angeles 18 to 1
  3. University of Texas at Austin 17 to 1
  4. University of Florida 17 to 1
  5. University of Virginia 15 to 1
  6. University of Michigan 11 to 1
  7. University of Southern California 9 to 1
  8. Cornell University 9 to 1
  9. Emory University 9 to 1
  10. New York University 8 to 1
  1. Columbia University $63,530
  2. Brown University $62,304
  3. University of Chicago $62,241
  4. University of Pennsylvania $61,710
  5. University of Southern California $61,503
  6. Cornell University $61,015
  7. Dartmouth College $60,870
  8. Northwestern University $60,768
  9. Duke University $60,244
  10. Yale University $59,950
  1. University of Chicago $62,640
  2. Brown University $60,944
  3. University of Southern California $60,446
  4. Dartmouth College $58,953
  5. Johns Hopkins University $58,720
  6. Duke University $57,900
  7. Washington University in St. Louis $57,750
  8. Northwestern University $56,067
  9. Princeton University $56,010
  10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology $55,510
  1. Vanderbilt University
  2. University of Florida
  3. Emory University
  4. Dartmouth College
  5. Washington University in St. Louis
  6. University of Virginia
  7. Brown University
  8. University of Texas at Austin
  9. Northwestern University
  10. Duke University
  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4%
  2. Stanford University 4%
  3. Harvard University 4%
  4. Columbia University 4%
  5. Princeton University 4%
  6. Yale University 5%
  7. University of Pennsylvania 6%
  8. Dartmouth College 6%
  9. University of Chicago 6%
  10. Duke University 6%
  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 3 to 1
  2. Stanford University 4 to 1
  3. Yale University 4 to 1
  4. Princeton University 4 to 1
  5. Harvard University 5 to 1
  6. University of Chicago 5 to 1
  7. Columbia University 6 to 1
  8. Duke University 6 to 1
  9. Northwestern University 6 to 1
  10. Brown University 6 to 1
  1. University of Florida $4,477
  2. University of California, Los Angeles $11,442
  3. University of California, Berkeley $11,442
  4. University of Texas at Austin $11,752
  5. University of Virginia $16,547
  6. University of Michigan $16,865
  7. Emory University $55,468
  8. Harvard University $55,587
  9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology $55,878
  10. Princeton University $56,010
  1. University of Florida $10,770
  2. University of California, Los Angeles $11,442
  3. University of California, Berkeley $11,442
  4. University of Texas at Austin $12,050
  5. University of Virginia $17,674
  6. University of Michigan $24,902
  7. Cornell University $29,500
  8. New York University $35,982
  9. University of Pennsylvania $38,732
  10. Emory University $44,800

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Anthropology Bachelor’s Degrees

Earning a bachelor’s degree in anthropology can open numerous professionals doors. In addition to fields such as archaeology and museum curation, the research, critical thinking, and communication skills learned in this major can apply in a wide range of educational, scientific, and social services work settings. The best schools for anthropology will put you in a position to become an innovator and a leader in this exciting field.

Today, top influencers in anthropology are bringing new light to topics like military uses of anthropology, cultural influences on economies, human organ trafficking, and much more.

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Anthropology studies human behaviors and characteristics with less focus on social influences than sociology. There are a lot of similarities, especially between cultural anthropology and sociology, but the focus is different. Anthropology focuses on the people - their behaviors, physical characteristics, and their responses to social structures, ie, their culture. Sociology focuses more on group behaviors and relations with social structures and institutions. Sociology uses qualitative and quantitative methods to study the causes and effect of social structures. Anthropologists more often utilize qualitative research methods like ethnography to study the changes that occur in people given their circumstances.

In an interview with us, Princeton Univerity Sociologist, Vivian Zelizer noted their similarities and common difference with psycholgy, [T]here are a lot of parallels between both fields in the sense that they’re both trying to understand social life, and in that sense, a contrast with psychology, which of course they’re interested in social life, but the focus is on the individual. Individual development, individual cognition, and both sociologists and anthropologists are more interested in the social relations, even though there are many splendid scholars in both of those fields that may specialise in cognitive aspects of social relationships. And I would say that in the past, the boundaries between sociology and anthropology were stronger in the sense that anthropologists would study primitive communities and other kinds of groups and less contemporary capitalist societies. But in the past years, anthropologists have done splendid ethnographies and studies of contemporary societies.

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Anthropology is an excellent interdisciplinary major. The degree is typically composed of numerous distinct but related subject areas from history and linguistics to studies on world religion and race, alongside science-driven subjects such as evolutionary biology, archaeology, and forensics. As an anthropology major, you’ll get the chance to flex both your scientific muscles and sharpen your skills of critical analysis.

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Once you’ve declared your major in anthropology, you will likely be required to complete a set of core courses in a number of related subject areas. While your concentration will give you a chance to choose from a wide range of highly-specialized anthropology electives, there are a several common courses that most anthropology majors will be required to take, including:

  • Gender, Sexuality and Society
  • Race and Science
  • Conducting Ethnographies
  • Identity and Difference
  • Anthropology of Biology
  • Documenting Culture
  • Environmental Conflict
  • The Anthropology of Politics in the U.S.
  • Social Theory and Analysis

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Anthropology is often divided into four distinct subdisciplines:

  • Biological or physical anthropology studies the biological development of humans or human-environmental adaptation.
  • Forensic anthropology falls under biological and physical anthropology as an application of the anatomical science of anthropology that assists in the identification of deceased individuals.
  • Cultural anthropology studies patterns of behavior and development of culture among societies.
  • The study of how language is formulated, how communication is used, and how language influences social life is known as linguistic anthropology.
  • Perhaps the most familiar application of anthropology is archaeology, which is the study of the past civilizations through the examination of artifacts.

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To answer this, we looked at internet search queries within the Education category on Google Trends. Biological anthropology (also sometimes called physical anthropology) is currently the most-searched field in anthropology, followed by medical anthropology, cultural anthropology, forensic anthropology, and linguistic anthropology (also known as ethnolinguistics).

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Anthropology is a highly specialized field. Those who will ultimately practice anthropology or archaeology will typically have earned a master’s degree. This will qualify you for a wide range of opportunities doing fieldwork, consultation, or education as an anthropologist, archeologist, or historian. But anthropology is also a versatile degree program. In addition to preparing you to enter into an advanced degree program in anthropology, a bachelor’s degree in anthropology could lead to a wide range of opportunities in forensics, education, biology, and much more. If you do choose to pursue anthropology as a career, your major can lead to these top jobs:

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Best Research Universities for Anthropology Degrees Programs

If you think a liberal arts college may be a better fit for you, see our ranking of the best liberal arts colleges for a bachelor’s in anthropology.

Best Research Universities for Anthropology Degrees

  1. #1

    Harvard University

    Cambridge , MA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $56K

    Acceptance

    4%

    Graduation

    97%

    Student body

    24K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1520/34

    Harvard Univeristy Anthropology Major Concentrations

    • Social Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Combined Track

    Harvard Univeristy Anthropology Major Joint Concentrations

    • African and African-American Studies
    • Classics
    • Comparative Literature
    • Computer Science
    • Chemistry
    • Earth and Planetary Sciences
    • East Asian Languages and Cultures
    • History
    • History and Literature
    • History of Science
    • Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology
    • Human Evolutionary Biology
    • Music
    • Religion
    • Romance Languages and Literature
    • Theatre, Dance, and Media
    • Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality
    • Visual and Environmental Studies

    Source

  2. #2

    University of Chicago

    Chicago , IL
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $62K

    Acceptance

    6%

    Graduation

    96%

    Student body

    13K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1535/34

    University of Chicago Anthropology Major Concentrations

    • Archaeology
    • Economic Anthropology
    • Human Rights, Ethics, and Religion
    • Medical Anthropology
    • Political Anthropology
    • Science and Technology Studies

    Degree Program Link

  3. #3

    Stanford University

    Stanford , CA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $56K

    Acceptance

    4%

    Graduation

    96%

    Student body

    13K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1495/33

    Stanford University Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Culture and Society
    • Environmental Anthropology
    • Medical Anthropology
    • Self-designed emhphasis

    Source

  4. #4

    Yale University

    New Haven , CT
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $60K

    Acceptance

    5%

    Graduation

    97%

    Student body

    14K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1520/34

    Yale University Anthropology Major Concentrations

    • Archaeology
    • Biological Anthropology
    • Sociocultural Anthropology
    • Linguistic Anthropology

    Source

  5. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $14K

    Acceptance

    14%

    Graduation

    93%

    Student body

    43K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1420/32

    University of Californina, Berkeley Anthropology Major Concentrations

    • Biological Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Sociocultural Anthropology

    Source

  6. #6

    Columbia University

    New York , NY
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $64K

    Acceptance

    4%

    Graduation

    97%

    Student body

    26K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1515/34

    Columbia University Anthropology Major Concentrations

    • Sociocultural Anthropology
    • Archaeological Anthropology

    Source

  7. #7

    University of Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia , PA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $62K

    Acceptance

    6%

    Graduation

    96%

    Student body

    28K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1515/34

    University of Pennsylvania Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Archaeology
    • Biological Anthropology
    • Cultural Anthropology
    • Linguistic Anthropology

    Source

  8. #8

    University of Michigan

    Ann Arbor , MI
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $17K

    Acceptance

    20%

    Graduation

    94%

    Student body

    44K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1430/32

    University of Michigan Anthropology Major Concentration

    • Anthropology general
    • Evolutionary Anthropology

    University of Michigan Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Anthropological Archaeology
    • Biological Anthropology
    • Sociocultural Anthropology
    • Linguistic Anthropology

    Source

  9. #9

    Duke University

    Durham , NC
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $60K

    Acceptance

    6%

    Graduation

    96%

    Student body

    14K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1520/34

    Duke University Anthropology Major Concentration

    • Cultural Anthropology

    Source

  10. #10

    Princeton University

    Princeton , NJ
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $56K

    Acceptance

    4%

    Graduation

    98%

    Student body

    7K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1510/33

    Princeton University Anthropology Major Concentrations

    • Socio-Cultural Anthropology
    • Medical Anthropology
    • Law, Politics, and Economics

    Source

  11. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $13K

    Acceptance

    11%

    Graduation

    92%

    Student body

    46K

    University of California Anthropology Majors

    • BA/BS in Anthropology
    • Anthropology Minor

    Source

  12. #12

    Cornell University

    Ithaca , NY
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $61K

    Acceptance

    9%

    Graduation

    94%

    Student body

    25K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1470/33

    Cornell University Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Sociocultural
    • Archaeological
    • Biological

    Source

  13. #13

    Brown University

    Providence , RI
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $62K

    Acceptance

    6%

    Graduation

    96%

    Student body

    9K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1500/34

    Brown University Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Anthropology general
    • Socio-Cultural Anthropology
    • Medical Anthropology
    • Linguistic Anthropology
    • Anthropological Archaeology
    • Biological Anthropology

    Source

  14. #14

    Northwestern University

    Evanston , IL
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $61K

    Acceptance

    7%

    Graduation

    95%

    Student body

    20K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1490/34

    Northwestern University Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Archaeology
    • Biological Anthropology
    • Cultural Anthropology
    • Linguistic Anthropology

    Source

  15. #15

    New York University

    New York , NY
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $57K

    Acceptance

    13%

    Graduation

    87%

    Student body

    49K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1455/32

    New York University Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Archaeology
    • Biological Anthropology
    • Cultural Anthropology
    • Linguistic Anthropology

    Source

  16. #16

    Johns Hopkins University

    Baltimore , MD
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $59K

    Acceptance

    8%

    Graduation

    95%

    Student body

    27K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1515/35

    Johns Hopkins University Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Socio-Cultural Anthropology
    • Anthropology/International Studies combined track

    Source

  17. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $56K

    Acceptance

    4%

    Graduation

    96%

    Student body

    13K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1545/35

    MIT Anthropology Major Faculty Areas of Expertise

    • Medical anthropology
    • Social dimensions of science, technology and computing
    • Material culture studies
    • Environmental movements
    • Food cultures and politics
    • Magic and religion
    • Ethnographic film production,
    • Gender and family studies
    • Migration and ethnic identity
    • Urban studies

    Source

  18. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $59K

    Acceptance

    13%

    Graduation

    93%

    Student body

    13K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1520/34

    Washington University Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Global Health and Environment

    Source

    Washington University in St. Louis’s Online Degrees

    BS in Integrated Studies
    Degree Concentrations
    • Humanities
    • Social Science
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  19. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $62K

    Acceptance

    13%

    Graduation

    92%

    Student body

    38K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1435/32

    University of Southern California Anthropology Major Concentrations

    • Visual Anthropology
    • Urban Applied Anthropology

    University of Southern California Anthropology Minors

    • Cultural Anthropology
    • Medical Anthropology
    • Folklore and Popular Culture
    • Southeast Asia and its people

    Source

  20. #20

    University of Virginia

    Charlottesville , VA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $20K

    Acceptance

    21%

    Graduation

    94%

    Student body

    25K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1415/32

    University of Virginia Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Socio-cultural Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Linguistics
    • Biological Anthropology

    Source

  21. #21

    University of Florida

    Gainesville , FL
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $6K

    Acceptance

    30%

    Graduation

    91%

    Student body

    48K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1375/31

    University of Florida Anthropology Major Subfields

    • Archaeology
    • Biological Anthropology
    • Cultural Anthropology
    • Linguistic Anthropology

    Source

  22. #23

    Vanderbilt University

    Nashville , TN
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $57K

    Acceptance

    7%

    Graduation

    93%

    Student body

    11K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1520/34

    Vanderbilt University Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Archaeology
    • Linguistics
    • Biological

    Source

  23. #24

    Dartmouth College

    Hanover , NH
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $61K

    Acceptance

    6%

    Graduation

    94%

    Student body

    6K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1500/33

    Dartmouth College Anthropology Major Tracks

    • Archaeology
    • Biological Anthropology
    • Cultural Anthropology
    • Linguistic Anthropology

    Source

  24. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $12K

    Acceptance

    29%

    Graduation

    88%

    Student body

    45K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1340/29

    UT Austin Anthropology Major Subfields

    • Sociocultural Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Biological Anthropology
    • Linguistic Anthropology

    Source

Go to all Research Universities for Anthropology programs

The Best Anthropology Schools in Your State

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