Why join us?

We offer an array of degrees, but all of them share a belief in three basic principles that build great careers.

• First, we believe skills are crucial. Our graduates know how to do things, and have the resumes to prove it. We take our students into the field with us, we teach lots of methods, we run a wildly successful research apprenticeship program across our 40 labs, we publish with our students and we model collaboration and mentorship in everything we do. Grad students get the chance to learn to teach in multiple modalities, and undergrads can work with our graduate students and faculty as assistants on their projects and in their classes.

• Second, the scale is a major asset. Being big isn’t a bad thing. By being large and in the largest research university, a vast array of classroom and experiential options are available to everyone when they need them. Scale helps students find a wide array of collaborators, training and experiences that enrich their resumes.

• Third, we collaborate with each other as part of our basic DNA. This extends to faculty working with grad and undergrad students in all aspects of our scholarship, and everyone working across disciplines to get at the most interesting questions. You can read more about some of our major collaborative projects that link faculty, graduate students and undergrads here.

For undergraduates, we offer a huge array of courses, almost all of which are taught directly by our world-leading faculty. Our faculty also teach award-winning online versions of our most popular classes, providing working students with scheduling flexibility as needed.

All our undergraduates have the chance to work directly in labs with – and travel into the field with – our faculty. They also have access to the thousands of classes in other schools, and enough electives in our degrees to be able to take advantage of them.

Our award-winning advisors help students craft their own pathway to the career they want. Our bachelor degree graduates are extremely successful is getting into grad school or medical school, many with full scholarships.

For graduate students, we are committed to supporting and mentoring everyone individually. Each program of study is created with the student to allow unique training programs. Each faculty mentors only a few graduate students so they can do so intensively.

We are one of the largest and most diverse anthropology programs in the country, and we have smaller boutique programs, too, that enrich everyone, as students can take classes with and work with faculty in any part of the school, and beyond, easily.

Historically we have funded almost all our graduate students through research assistantships and teaching assistantships, both great CV builders. We also have graduate student governance of the school, meaning our students play a role in shaping our decisions and how we operate.

We have extremely high retention rates, with most of the students who start with us going on to finish their degrees. Most have published with at least one faculty.

Half of all our PhD graduates go on to traditional academic appointments, while the rest are driven to take their skills into a wider world to make a difference, such as working for government agencies and international corporations.