Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Cultural Anthropology, B.A.


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Offered by Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health .

Anthropology is the worldwide comparative study of humankind, present and past. The subfield of cultural anthropology examines the relationship of culture, human meaning, and the social, political, and economic forces that affect our worlds. The Cultural Anthropology, B.A. provides students with an understanding of cultural diversity, human social organization and social structure, and social research methods.

Anthropology courses help students gain an understanding of the complexity of current events within the U.S. and internationally. These courses offer students training in anthropological theory and research methods, with opportunities to apply these in practice. Students have the opportunity to explore critical contemporary problems, globalization, urban life, family, gender, and health, to name just a few topic areas, through the lens of Anthropology. The department also offers a three course sequence on physical and forensic anthropology. Cultural anthropology majors complete their own independent research projects as part of their capstone methods course. 

Cultural anthropology majors learn to gather and analyze complex material, communicate across difference, and recognize how cultural perspectives shape understandings of events and interactions. Upon graduation our majors are well prepared to obtain employment in our increasingly multicultural workforce, pursue graduate and professional training, and engage effectively in a complex world.

SAPH also offers an Anthropology Minor .

University Requirements


Completion of Minimum University Requirements for an Undergraduate Baccalaureate Degree .

  • Minimum 120 credits and minimum GPA of 2.0
  • Completion of 45 upper-level credits, residence requirement, Writing Intensive requirement, and General Education requirement

Major Requirements


  • Minimum 31 credits
  • Minimum grade of ‘C’ in courses applied to the major

Course Requirements


Elective Requirements (18 credits)


Complete 18 additional credits from ANTH or SOCY,  including a minimum of 12 credits in ANTH, a maximum of 6 credits in SOCY, a minimum of 12 credits at the 300 level or above, and excluding SOCY 396  and any other P/F courses from the following or other approved courses:

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs


Qualified students may apply to an accelerated program, which allows them to share courses between a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. Students take graduate courses as undergraduate students and later apply those courses to master’s degrees. An undergraduate may apply to participate in an accelerated program even if the desired graduate program is in a department other than the one in which the student is majoring. More information is available from the Graduate School website: https://gradschool.umbc.edu/admissions/nontraditional/accelerated/

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