Anthropology
College of Arts & Sciences
The anthropology major includes the study of human evolution, the archaeological record, language and culture, the relationship between humans and their environment, and cultural modes of being as these differ in time and space. While pursuing a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches, anthropologists work toward a common goal: to document and understand our many interconnected ways of being human in a world now inhabited by six billion people speaking five thousand languages. Graduates of this degree pursue careers in fields such as public policy, social work, business, health care, nonprofit, research and education.
Major category: Open
Curricular options: anthropology of globalization , archaeological sciences, human evolutionary biology, medical anthropology and global health
Topic(s): Health, Social sciences
websiteDegree requirements
Applicant type
Freshmen can apply to the UW to begin autumn quarter or winter quarter (U.S. applicants only)
Read more about applying to the UW as a freshman, including details for programs that provide high school students with college credit (like Running Start).
Quarters of general admission to UW: autumn / winter (U.S. applicants only) / spring / summer
Preparation for the major is a factor in transfer admission.
- Use the information below to help you prepare for this degree
- Visit MyPlan to run a degree audit.
- Use the UW Equivalency Guide to find out how courses taken at a Washington state community or technical college will transfer to the UW.
- UW college and school graduation requirements
Department admission information
Departmental application deadline: Students in good academic standing may declare the major at any time, including on their application for admission to the UW.
Please contact the department for details about the application process.
Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student.
Courses recommended for the major:
Any two of the following:
- ANTH 202 SSc – Principles of Sociocultural Anthropology
- ANTH 203 SSc A&H – Intro to Anthropology Linguistics
- ANTH 204 SSc – Reading Ethnography
- ANTH 206 SSc NSc – The Cultural Animal
- ANTH 207 SSc – Class and Culture In America
- ANTH 208 SSc – The Culture Concept
- ANTH 209 SSc A&H – Anthropology through Visual Media
- ANTH 210 SSc – Intro To Environmental Anthropology
- ANTH 228 SSc – Identities
- ARCHY 205 SSc – Principles Of Archaeology
- BIO A 201 NSc – Principles Of Biological Anthropology
At least one of the following:
- STAT 220 NSc RSN – Basic Statistics
- STAT 311 NSc RSN – Elements of Statistical Methods
- Q SCI 381 NSc RSN – Intro to Probability & Statistics
- ARCHY 495 SSc – Quantitative Archaeological Analytic Techniques
Entering transfer information:
Total undergraduates: 458
Total from Washington community colleges: 81
Entering transfer GPA (from WA community colleges):
3.75 – 4.00: 20
3.50 – 3.74: 16
3.25 – 3.49: 13
3.00 – 3.24: 17
2.75 – 2.99: 13
2.50 – 2.74: <5
2.49 and below: <5