Undergraduate

Program Info

Why Choose an Anthropology Major?

is the study of people, of what makes us human. Anthropology is unique, even among the social sciences: It explores what it means to be human in all its dimensions. When we study anthropology, we learn how we fit in the global tapestry of cultures, ethnicities, and histories - by learning about others, we come to understand ourselves more fully.


B.A. anthropology

The USF Anthropology B.A. offers a taste of all the major subfields, while stressing the applied importance of anthropology and its relevance to real world, current problems. Applied anthropology uses the theories, methods, and findings of anthropological research and combines it with other anthropological skills, such as communication, cultural awareness, and critical thinking, to solve problems and build bridges between various groups of people. Applied anthropologists work in a wide variety of fields, including health and medicine, human rights, education, business, cultural resource management, museums, natural and cultural disasters, and international relations. 


B.S. biomedical anthropology

The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Anthropology will ground students in key concepts in anthropology, health and illness, and human biology. Students will learn to use biological, cultural, and medical anthropology to approach human health from a holistic, cross-cultural perspective.  Students will learn how to examine human health and well-being in the context of human biological and cultural diversity, understand the connections between health and disease and human social and evolutionary contexts, and apply these anthropological perspectives to human illness, treatment, and healthcare systems.


Students in many other programs will find an anthropological perspective of benefit. The minor program is structured to allow the student maximum flexibility in course selection within a broadly defined progression of anthropological concerns. Thus, the student is able to tailor a minor in anthropology to best suit specific wants and needs in the context of an overall curriculum.


This minor prepares undergraduates for futures in medical-related disciplines such as medicine, nursing, and dentistry. The required courses give students a strong foundation on evolutionary and cross-cultural factors affecting human biological variation. The elective course list provides students with ample choices among more specialized topics in biomedical anthropology.


 For information and advice about the Anthropology major or minor(s), contact the Undergraduate Advisor.

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