I plan on majoring in anthropology in college but I am having trouble finding good anthro schools. I can find lists of schools offering anthropology, but no rankings, so I’m not sure which schools have the best programs.
Can anyone tell me any good schools for majoring in anthro? Or any resources to help me find this information?
First you need to think about what sort of anthropology interests you – cultural, biological, linguistics, or archaeology.
Then start looking at schools that are strong in that area.
As you will be an undergraduate, you might want to consider a prorgram that does not have graduate students – there’s a good chance that you’ll get more attention and be more likely to be taught by full professors. Graduate students can be useful, however, as they often have interests beyond those of professors, may know more about the latest developments, and if you decide to go on to graduate school yourself, might be able to offer you advice.
Look into a few schools that appeal to you, get in touch with the department and ask questions, even if you can’t visit in person. Ask what sort of funding is available for undergrads, if there are internship or other job opportunities in the department, what sort of field work opportunities are available, etc. See if they have a list of regularly offered courses.
If you can, go to a library and look for publications – either monographs or journals – by the professors in the department to get an idea about what they do, how they think, etc.
To be completely frank, while you need a good grounding in the basics in anthropology, most places with a devoted program will be able to offer you that. If you want a career in anthropology you are probably going to need to go on to graduate school, and that’s when you’re really doing to need to worry about rankings, etc.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Don’t know where you live but you might check out McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Has a good rep and is in a beautiful city.
References :
February 6th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
First you need to think about what sort of anthropology interests you – cultural, biological, linguistics, or archaeology.
Then start looking at schools that are strong in that area.
As you will be an undergraduate, you might want to consider a prorgram that does not have graduate students – there’s a good chance that you’ll get more attention and be more likely to be taught by full professors. Graduate students can be useful, however, as they often have interests beyond those of professors, may know more about the latest developments, and if you decide to go on to graduate school yourself, might be able to offer you advice.
Look into a few schools that appeal to you, get in touch with the department and ask questions, even if you can’t visit in person. Ask what sort of funding is available for undergrads, if there are internship or other job opportunities in the department, what sort of field work opportunities are available, etc. See if they have a list of regularly offered courses.
If you can, go to a library and look for publications – either monographs or journals – by the professors in the department to get an idea about what they do, how they think, etc.
To be completely frank, while you need a good grounding in the basics in anthropology, most places with a devoted program will be able to offer you that. If you want a career in anthropology you are probably going to need to go on to graduate school, and that’s when you’re really doing to need to worry about rankings, etc.
References :
February 6th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Michigan state has a good program, so does the university of chicago (i believe that’s it’s name) and arizona has a good forensics program (so does tennessee).
depending on what state you live in, take a look at the state school system’s different websites for each college in the system, (for example, new york has SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Albany, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Stoney Brook, etc) and department websites if you don’t want to go too far away from home.
also, the guy above me had some good ideas too, good luck!
References :
February 6th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
OU – Norman, University of Kansas – Lawrence, University of Arkansas – Little Rock, and Missouri State – Columbia are all good schools for anthro…if you live in the midwest and want to stay close to home.
References :
February 6th, 2010 at 11:12 pm
I’m currently majoring in Anthropology (Bachelor of Science) at SUNY Binghamton. We have one of the best biological anthropology labs in the country, and some of the best faculty. I’m a little biased because I really love this school, but we are VERY good (and cheap). Check out the links below, or you can message me and I’d be glad to brag about our department some more.
References :
http://anthro.binghamton.edu
http://biomedical.binghamton.edu
February 6th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Contact the American Anthropological Association for programs. Different schools provide different emphases. Some are stronger in cultural, others in linguistic or physical or archaeology. Make sure the school you select is strong in your area of interest.
References :
Anthropology Doctoral Student’s life experience