Anthropology

Major, Minor*

Why This Program & What You'll Learn

You’ll get lots of hands-on, practical experience. You’ll learn to search for, excavate and analyze important artifacts at the Stone House, a Saginaw Chippewa farmstead that sheltered runaways from the Mount Pleasant Industrial Boarding School.

You’ll learn to use 3-D printers to create replicas of fossilized human remains dating back some two million years. Or you'll investigate mock crime scenes as part of a forensic anthropology class. You'll study abroad or conduct research overseas. (One of our students recently spent a semester as a forensic anthropology intern in Santiago, Chile.)

You’ll work one-on-one with experienced faculty researchers and engage with classmates in small, interactive classes. We offer courses in language and culture, medical anthropology, primate behavior, international cultures, archeology, ethnology, forensic anthropology and other intriguing topics — so you’re sure to find plenty to spark your interest.

You’ll grow outside the classroom, too, as you develop professional skills and make connections through student organizations like the Anthropology Club. Your skills in working with people from culturally diverse backgrounds will give you a distinctive edge when it’s time to launch a career.

* Minor available online

Program Highlights

As a CMU anthropology student, you can:

• Participate in archeological digs at historic sites such as Michigan’s oldest lighthouse.
• Work as part of a team on crime-scene investigation techniques for your forensic anthropology class.
• Present your research or class project at regional and national scholarly conferences.
• Learn about the cultures of Ghana during a three-week immersive study abroad program in the West African nation.
• Complete the minor for this program online.