Anthropology, BA
Are you interested in deepening your understanding of humanity while addressing the pressing problems of our time? Our Anthropology BA program inspires you to push boundaries as you collaborate on research and engage in coursework that explores what it means to be human.
Program Overview
The Anthropology BA program is a hands-on exploration of humanity—our cultures, societies, evolution, and more—through lab courses, fieldwork, and observation.
Whether you’re interested in a research and teaching career, or one geared towards government, museum, or applied work, our program teaches you the skills to handle archaeological artifacts; identify plant, animal, and human remains; or study various cultures through participant observation (ethnography) and historical research methods.
You’ll have the opportunity to study anthropology from widely recognized research areas—archaeological, biological, and cultural—through the program’s four concentrations and hands-on learning opportunities. Plus, our Honors pathway and minor options mean students can tailor their degree to fit their unique academic goals.
Whatever your interests, the Bachelor of Arts in anthropology prepares you with specialized knowledge that will help you stand out in the job market.
Concentrations
Our program’s concentrations reflect widely recognized areas of research in anthropology. Whether you want to study humanitarian issues; historical artifacts and remains across cultures and societies; or be at the cutting-edge of identifying human remains for law enforcement and medicolegal professionals, our concentrations prepare you with advanced knowledge across disciplines.
Our current selection of concentrations includes:
- Anthropology, BA (general)
- Archaeology concentration
- Disasters, Displacement, and Human Rights concentration
- Forensic concentration
Honors
If you’re interested in pursuing more advanced, rigorous coursework, our Honors pathway would challenge you to push boundaries. You will take Honors-specific courses and complete an Honors thesis, either in the form of a literature review or research project, all while receiving one-on-one mentorship from faculty. Students interested in Honors must maintain an overall GPA of 3.25.
Our program currently offers Honors only for the general Anthropology, BA, but we plan to offer more Honors options in the future.
Minors
An anthropology minor can enhance any degree field, equipping you with the observational and hands-on skills to understand cultures and societies from a variety of perspectives.
Our current selection of minors includes:
- Anthropology minor
- Archaeology Anthropology minor
- Cultural Anthropology minor
Why Study Anthropology?
The Bachelor of Arts in anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville offers exceptional opportunities to gain hands-on, practical research, excavation, skeletal analysis, and cultural analysis skills.
You’ll have the opportunity to work in our state-of-the-art facilities—like our leading Forensic Anthropology Center, as well as other facilities like our Molecular Anthropology Laboratories, Archaeology Laboratories, and so many more—all while working alongside faculty who are eager to mentor and inspire you. Plus, our program also boasts opportunities to attend archaeological field schools each year, allowing you to learn techniques for excavation. Some of our currently available field schools include the Coan Hall Field School in Virginia and the Pocotaligo Town Field School in South Carolina.
At UT, these exceptional opportunities will help you make exactly the impact you want, no matter where your unique academic journey leads.
Forensic Anthropology Center
Established in 1987, UT’s Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) opened its state-of-the-art Laboratory on April 17, 2026, now the first accredited lab of its kind at a higher education institution by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). FAC has long provided unparalleled teaching and research opportunities for UT students.
What Can You Do with a BA in Anthropology After Graduation?
The Anthropology program at UT is a diverse program where students get to thrive in the study of the human experience through collaboration and research. Students get to learn through scientific and humanistic lenses, with multiple concentrations to choose from, depending on your interests. These specializations provide students with public outreach opportunities, interactive learning, access to research labs and centers, and more, all while being backed by supportive and active faculty. Graduates go on to work in many different disciplines in impacting our knowledge of the human experience, such as education, museum work, field research, government, and more.
At museums and archives, many graduates work as curators, records managers, archivists, or preservation specialists. In the field and more research-centered careers, other graduates become cultural resource managers, field technicians, site managers, or urban planners, working for historic preservation organizations, environmental firms, or archaeological consulting firms. In government, alumni go on to become program managers, policy analysts, or cultural affairs specialists, or epidemiology researchers. You could also work in business, in sales, customer service, or human resources, or in communications and media, as a journalist, publisher, or content creator for documentaries.
Education is another pathway, where you could work at colleges, universities, museums, or nature centers as an anthropology professor, researcher, information specialist, or program coordinator.
Featured Courses
ANTH 362 Principles of Archaeology
This course covers research strategies used in developing methods and theory, constructing cultural histories, identifying site function and settlement-subsistence patterns, and evaluating explanations of cultural change.
ANTH 460 Paleoethnobotany
This seminar class provides advanced undergraduate students a comprehensive understanding of the methods and applications of paleoethnobotany within archaeology, as well as providing some hands-on experience in working with archaeological plant remains.
ANTH 419 Anthropology of Human Rights
Overview of the development and global spread of modern human rights concepts and instruments, with intensive focus on problems of universal rights, cultural relativism, and the anthropological study of specific human rights issues such as terror, torture, and violence against women.
ANTH 486 Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
Introduction to forensic anthropology, the science that utilizes methods from skeletal biology and archaeology as tools in human identification in a medico-legal context. Covers the human skeleton and dentition, methods employed in the estimation of age, sex, ancestry, stature, time since death, and trauma, and working in a medico-legal setting.
Complementary Majors, Minors, and Certificates
Looking to enhance your degree? Consider these programs as a complement to your primary major.
- Geographic Information Science minor
- History minor
Looking For More Options?
The College of Arts and Sciences offers students the broadest range of academic programs and opportunities for research and creative activities at the University of Tennessee, powered by faculty expertise across every discipline.
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