Current Student Resources

Anthropology is the study of humankind—our origins; the development of language, creativity, technology, communication, and social organization; how we make meaning in and of the world; and how we respond to broader processes and emergent situations.

With an expansive perspective on human culture that incorporates a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches, this program provides multiple opportunities for fieldwork and research experience and prepares students to attend top graduate schools or to aspire to careers in anthropology, public health, museums, CRM, archaeology, the arts, business, health sciences, environmental or social impact assessment, human rights advocacy, social work, documentary film, or a variety of other professions and service careers.  

The department holds group advising sessions once a semester. This is an opportunity to learn about upcoming courses, employment and research opportunities, internships, and field schools; to meet the faculty; and to connect with individual advisors as well as other students. Students may additionally request advising meetings with individual faculty in their area(s) of interest. 

Majors must complete introductory courses in three subdisciplines of anthropology; a methods course; an integrative (cross-disciplinary applied theory) course; History and Theory of Anthropology; and a capstone senior seminar. Students focusing on a particular subfield (e.g., historical archaeology, cognitive archaeology, applied cultural anthropology, medical anthropology, linguistics, biological anthropology) should choose electives related to their subfield, and should strongly consider participating in a field school or community-based research course in their subfield.  

Students may also want to consider completing an honors thesis, senior seminar project, or internship in their subfield. Having research or public outreach experience prior to graduate school or the job market will give students a strong advantage. 

For more information about individual courses, see Offered Anthropology Courses.

Students with a GPA of 3.0 or above in anthropology courses (at least 12 hours of coursework) and a cumulative GPA over 2.5 are eligible to join the National Anthropology Honor Society (Lambda Alpha) chapter on campus. The society honors superior academic achievement in anthropology and offers students opportunities to publish original research in the Lambda Alpha Journal and apply for undergraduate and graduate scholarships. For more information, please contact Dr. Tara Robins trobins3@uccs.edu.

Students who wish to conduct an original independent research project in preparation for graduate school may apply to join the Honors Program. To qualify, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the department and 3.0 overall; must have a research proposal approved by a faculty member in the department; and must complete a semester of guided independent research and an honors thesis (ANTH 4990) in addition to the required capstone Senior Seminar (ANTH 4980).

The student will present both the written thesis and an oral defense to a committee of 3-4 faculty. Upon recommendation of the faculty, the successful honor student's degree diploma will bear the citation "Distinction,” “High Distinction,” or “Highest Distinction in Anthropology." Students interested in this program should contact the Department Chair no later than their junior year. 

We recognize that college represents a significant investment and we want to ensure that every student who wants to join our department is able to do so. Please visit the UCCS Financial Aid website for current information on the opportunities for funding this investment in your future.

Resources for finding an anthropology-related job:

• American Anthropological Association
• Society for American Archaeology
• Archaeological Institute of America
• American Association of Biological Anthropologists
• One Day One Job

Download the Anthropology Department Employment Guide

UCCS has an Anthropology Club that organizes trips to museums or field locations, public talks, and get-togethers for majors and minors.

Admission to graduate programs is very competitive, especially for Ph.D. programs, in part because many schools provide funding for their graduate students (whether as fellowships, research assistantships, or teaching assistant positions). However, there are many ways to improve your chances of acceptance into graduate programs.