Anthropology

Director of undergraduate studies: William Honeychurch, Rm. 305, 51 Hillhouse Ave., 432-3676; anthropology.yale.edu

The major in Anthropology gives a firm grounding in this comparative discipline concerned with human cultural, social, and biological diversity. Anthropology deals not only with that small proportion of humankind in Europe and North America but with societies of the entire world from the remotest past to the present day. It is thus an essential part of a sound liberal education, helping us to see our world from a perspective that challenges ethnocentric assumptions. The major in Anthropology covers the evolution of human and nonhuman primates and the evolutionary biology of living people; world prehistory and the emergence of civilization; diversity and commonality in social organization and culture; the importance of culture for understanding such topics as sickness and health, gender and sexuality, environment and development, media and visual culture, urban life and sport, economic organization and politics, law and society, migration, and religion; and language use as cultural behavior.

The subfields of anthropological inquiry-archaeology, biological anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology-together offer a holistic perspective on humankind and its development.

Requirements of the Major

Students are required to present twelve course credits toward their major. At least eight term courses must be taught in the Department of Anthropology. These eight must include an introductory or intermediate course (numbered ANTH 001-299) in each of at least three subfields of anthropology; three advanced courses (numbered ANTH 300-470 or 473-490, not including a senior essay seminar); and two electives. Additionally, all students must prepare a senior essay in ANTH 491 or another Anthropology seminar. Majors may take up to three cognate courses in departments other than Anthropology. 

Three term courses related to anthropology may be selected from other departments, with approval by the director of undergraduate studies (DUS). Majors are not required to present such cognate courses, but those who do should choose courses that expand their knowledge in one of the subfields of anthropology or in an area of cross-disciplinary concentration. For example, cognate courses for biological anthropology can be found in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Psychology, and Forestry & Environmental Studies; cognates for sociocultural anthropology can be found in Sociology, American Studies, History, Environmental Studies, Religious Studies, Global Affairs, and international and area studies. Appropriate areas of cross-disciplinary concentrations include such topics as area studies (e.g., Africa); anthropological approaches to law, environment, business, the built environment, and health; gender and sexuality studies; evolutionary biology; and geology.

Areas of concentrationThe major does not have formal tracks, but majors may choose to concentrate in one of the subfields of anthropology. They may also draw on courses in sociocultural and biological anthropology to pursue a concentration in medical anthropology. Those who concentrate in sociocultural anthropology are strongly encouraged to take a course in ethnographic methods and one in anthropological theory (e.g., ANTH 303 or 311). Those who concentrate in biological anthropology are strongly encouraged to take courses that give them hands-on experience working with material used in the study of human and nonhuman primate anatomy and evolution and that introduce them to laboratory methods.

Credit/D/FailA maximum of one course taken Credit/D/Fail may be applied toward the Anthropology major.

RoadmapSee visual roadmap of the requirements.

Senior Requirement

All majors are required to complete a substantial paper during the senior year, either in a seminar or in ANTH 491. There are three options for completing the senior essay. First, students can write a paper for an advanced seminar. A seminar senior essay must be more substantial than a typical term paper and is expected to be 20-25 pages long. It is evaluated by the seminar instructor and a second reader drawn from the Yale faculty. Students must obtain written approval for this option from the seminar instructor no later than the third week of the term. Students fulfilling the requirements of two majors may not apply a single seminar essay toward the senior requirement for both majors. The deadline for a seminar senior essay is the senior essay deadline, not the term paper deadline. Students choosing this option must take the seminar for which they write their essay in addition to the three advanced courses required for the major.

The second option for the senior essay is an independent essay on a subject of the student's choice, completed in ANTH 491. A student pursuing this option must choose a topic and identify a faculty adviser by the end of the third week of the term in which the essay is to be written. By the same date, the adviser must approve a prospectus that outlines the topic, objectives, and methods of the essay, as well as a preliminary bibliography. The student should also inform the DUS of a preferred second reader by this time. The adviser must have a faculty appointment in Anthropology, and the second reader must have a faculty appointment at Yale.

The third option for the senior essay is a yearlong paper, begun in ANTH 471 or 472 and completed in ANTH 491. The yearlong essay is designed for students who wish to pursue more extensive independent projects than can be completed in a single term. Students must have their project approved by a faculty adviser who establishes the requirements for ANTH 471 or 472. Approval is required before the student registers for ANTH 471 or 472, typically in the fall term of the senior year.

Alternative thesis formats may be considered at the discretion of the DUS and the student's primary thesis advisor.

Advising

With permission of the DUS, students may apply up to two courses taken outside Yale as electives or cognates toward the Anthropology major. Such courses must have been approved for Yale College credit and may include courses taken on a year or term abroad or through summer study at another college or university. See Academic Regulations, section K, Special Academic Programs.

Graduate coursesMost graduate seminars in anthropology are open to qualified undergraduates. Descriptions are available in the departmental office, 10 Sachem St. Permission of the instructor and of the director of graduate studies is required.

Study Abroad

Study abroad courses that are approved for Yale College and Anthropology credit may be used to replace one elective. If more than one such study abroad course credit is to be used for the major, it will come at the expense of one or more of the three cognate courses which may be taken in any Yale department or program with the approval of the DUS in Anthropology.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR

PrerequisitesNone

Number of courses12 course credits (incl senior req)

Distribution of coursesAt least 1 intro survey or intermediate course in each of 3 subfields; 3 advanced courses (not incl senior essay sem); 2 electives; up to 3 cognate courses in other depts or programs with DUS approval

Substitution permitted 1 study abroad course for 1 ANTH elective

Senior requirementSenior essay in advanced sem; or ANTH 491; or a yearlong essay to include ANTH 471 or 472 in addition to ANTH 491; or alt thesis format with DUS approval

• $80 application fee or fee waiver
• Recommendations from two teachers and one counselor
• School Report with transcript
• Standardized test results (ACT or SAT) - not required for fall 2023 admission. (See below)
• English proficiency test results - required for non-native English-speakers (See below)
• Mid-Year Report & Final Report

See additional details about these required application components below.

Please note that if your application materials include any documents that are not in English, you must provide an official English translation in addition to the original documents.

$80 application fee or fee waiver

Applicants should pay the $80 application fee via the Common Application or Coalition Application website.

Applicants using the Common Application or Coalition Application may request that the application fee be waived. Learn more on the fee waiver page. The fee waiver scale is based on family size and income in US dollars but is applicable to all international students.

Recommendations from two teachers and one counselor

Request recommendations from two teachers who have taught you in core academic subjects (e.g. English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) who know you well, and who have seen you at your best. It is preferable, but not required, that recommendations come from teachers who have taught you during your final or next-to-final year of secondary school.

Also request a recommendation from your school’s college counselor. If your counselor does not know you well, the recommendation may still provide helpful contextual information about your school and its academic programs. If your school does not have someone serving as a college counselor, please request a recommendation from a school administrator such as a house master, principal, or academic advisor. 

School Report with transcript

Your counselor or other school official should submit a School Report with an official transcript that includes all your secondary school courses. If a question on the School Report form is not applicable to your secondary school, leave it blank. 

Recommendations and transcripts should be submitted electronically through the Common Application or Coalition Application website. If necessary, teachers and counselors may also submit their recommendations and transcripts via mail or digital upload. Recommendations may be sent before or after you submit your application; materials that arrive before your application will be kept on file. The admissions office will make reasonable allowances for late school documents in situations where it is not possible for teachers and counselors to meet the application deadlines.

Standardized test results

In response to the extraordinary circumstances associated with the pandemic, Yale has temporarily suspended its requirement that first-year and transfer applicants submit results from the ACT or SAT. The change will be in effect during the 2022-23 admissions cycles for applicants who intend to matriculate in fall 2023. 

More information on Yale’s test policies is available on the standardized testing page. Standardized tests are just one component of a student’s application and are viewed within the context of the student’s entire file. There is no minimum score required for admission, nor is there a score that will guarantee admission.

English proficiency exams

Yale requires that non-native English-speakers who have not taken at least two years of secondary education where English is the medium of instruction submit the results from any of the proficiency tests listed below.

The TOEFL requires pre-registration for available testing dates. Yale’s most competitive applicants have scores of at least 100 on the internet-based TOEFL.

The IELTS offers proficiency tests in locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have IELTS scores of 7 or higher.

Cambridge English exams are available at testing locations around the world. Pre-registration is required. Yale’s most competitive applicants have Cambridge English scores of 185 or higher on the C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency, or B2 First exams.

Applicants may submit the Duolingo English Test (DET), which combines an English proficiency test with a brief video interview. Duolingo’s technology and format allows applicants to complete the test at any time or place with internet access. Yale’s most competitive applicants have DET scores of at least 120.

InitialView provides live, unscripted video interviews that candidates may submit to colleges for consideration with other application materials. Interview times must be reserved in advance. There is no scoring associated with these interviews.

Mid-Year Report & Final Report

Students who do not receive new secondary school grades by February 1, including students who have already completed secondary school, are not required to submit a Mid-Year Report. This includes many international students. Applicants who receive new grades by February 1 should submit a Mid-Year Report.

Only admitted students are required to submit the Final Report, which provides final secondary school grades and examination marks. Admitted students submit the Final Report in the summer before fall matriculation.

If your secondary school provides predicted results for external exams such as A-levels, the International Baccalaureate, and other international or national testing organizations, they should be submitted by your school alongside your transcript or Mid-Year Report.

All applicants for first-year admission must submit one of the following:

• The Coalition Application with Yale-Specific Questions
• The Common Application with Yale-Specific Questions
• The QuestBridge National College Match Application

Yale will accept any one of these applications, without preference for one over another. Students should submit one—and only one—application per admissions cycle.