Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Anthropology?

Anthropology examines human cultural differences across time and space, helping to broaden our understanding of what it means to be human in an increasingly cosmopolitan and globalized world. 

2. What are the program options for Anthropology and what GPA/courses do I need?

Program options are:

• Anthropology (BA)
• Honours Anthropology (BA)
• Combined Honours in Anthropology and Another Subject (BA)
• Minor in Anthropology
• Interdisciplinary Minor in Archaeology

3. What are some of the career pathways available to an Anthropology graduate?

Some careers you may pursue with an Anthropology degree include: 

• Archaeology & Cultural Resource Management
• Human Resources
• Health & Genomic Research
• Foreign Aid
• Refugee Services
• Marketing and Research Consulting
• Historical Tourism
• Education & Teaching
• Museum Work
• Public Health
• Law Enforcement
• Qualitative & Ethnographic Researcher

We inhabit an increasingly globalized and multicultural world where there is a demand for the skills that anthropology graduates cultivate during their undergraduate degree.  

Anthropology students learn critical thinking, presentation and writing skills, how to engage and negotiate with diverse audiences, how to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research and how to mitigate conflict. Many large corporations, including Google, Facebook and Apple, hire anthropologists to do qualitative and ethnographic research.  

Other anthropologists find work in government (e.g. to develop anti-racist curriculum for the Ontario government), and in non-governmental or foreign aid organizations, like the Red Cross. Many anthropology students find work in Cultural Resource Management, where they are hired to assess or excavate archaeological sites on properties prior to construction and development. Another large and growing field of anthropology is medical anthropology. Many medical anthropologists work alongside doctors and other health care professionals to implement positive changes in health care and delivery of health services, with an emphasis on eliminating social and economic barriers to heath care.

4. What are some experiential opportunities that exist in the program?

Several experiential education opportunities are available for students. Our archaeology program has labs, artifact storage and research facilities both on the main campus and at McMaster Innovation Park, where many students have volunteered or worked closely with graduate students and faculty members on various collections in the Sustainable Archaeology Lab.

Each spring/summer, we also offer at least one of our two field schools: Anthropology 3BF3 is a 3-credit field school in bioarchaeology, held in Italy. During this field school, students learn to excavate and analyze human skeletal remains and associated artifacts. We also offer a local field school in Hamilton, Anthropology 3CC6. This 6-credit course is held on the property of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Students learn how to excavate, analyze and conduct lab-work in a local archaeological context. In addition to these opportunities, many students work or volunteer in our Ancient DNA lab, or in our Sensory Ethnography Lab in social-cultural anthropology.

5. I’m from another program. Can Anthropology courses that I’ve taken to complete my “program” course lists also count towards the Anthropology minor?

Yes, they do. All courses listed as options for Anthropology’s minor will count.

6. What is an Independent Research course?

We offer our Independent Research courses at the third and fourth-year levels. These courses represent a chance for students, in partnership with a professor, to customize a course based upon mutual interests in any of anthropology’s subfields. These courses often involve literature reviews or more experiential opportunities such as lab work or analysis.

7. Do Anthropologists only study faraway cultures and ancient civilizations?

No. For anthropologists, almost any topic in any society, past or present, is fair game. You are just as likely to see an anthropologist studying gender in Vanuatu, or social status on an ancient Roman archaeological site, as you are to see an anthropologist explore issues of food security in Hamilton.