Bachelor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University
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    Bachelor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University

    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America
    United States of America, University Park
    University Rank:#82
    Bachelor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University

    Study Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, a Bachelor degree offered across its Main Site, Any Penn State Campus, and University Park campuses in United States of America. This Full Time program is delivered on campus in English and takes approximately 4 years to complete. Students benefit from a structured learning experience designed to build both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The next intake is scheduled for June 1, 2027.

    About Bachelor of Anthropology

    Anthropology is the study of human diversity – our biology, behavior, cultural complexity, and evolution.  Anthropologists study living people across cultures and populations; past people through the fossil, archaeological, and historical records; as well as living and extinct nonhuman primates. Anthropologists document, describe, and seek to understand biological and cultural variation in humans both past and present as a way to understand and explain the human condition. The field is divided into several integrated areas of study. Archaeology focuses on past societies, both ancient and historic, in order to understand and explain culture change over time. Biological Anthropology describes and explains human biological variation today and in the past. Human Ecology or Cultural Anthropology studies contemporary societies and cultures and their interactions with the environment.

    You Might Like This Program If...

    • You are interested in human cultural and biological variation and you want to understand human behavior and biology.
    • You find human diversity fascinating and want to explore and understand the human condition.
    • You want to study important questions such as 'what makes us human?' and 'what is the origin and importance of human diversity?'
    • You want to pursue a career in anthropological research, museum curation, education, health professions, law, non-governmental organizations, or international relations.

    Anthropology is a holistic scientific discipline having links to the humanities. Anthropologists document, describe, and explain the physical and cultural differences of societies, both past and present. Anthropology sees the individual as part of a larger social order that both impinges upon and is molded by those who belong to it. Anthropology investigates how cultures interact and relate within specific economic, political, and ecological frameworks over time.

    The Bachelor of Arts major focuses on the biological and cultural variations of human populations through archaeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology. In addition to class work, students receive practical training in laboratory and field work.

    • Content: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the major concepts and theories of anthropology (archaeological, biological, cultural) and an understanding of human diversity, variation, and adaptation from cultural, biological, and historical perspectives.
    • Integrated Anthropological Inquiry: Students will demonstrate informed knowledge of other cultures and diverse ways of life, both past and present, and an understanding of how diverse lines of anthropological inquiry can be integrated to understand the human condition.
    • Critical and Synthetic Thinking: Students will 1) demonstrate the ability to use critical thinking and the scientific approach to solve problems related to biological and cultural variation, 2) demonstrate critical thinking in the analysis, evaluation, and interpretation of information from the scientific literature, and 3) demonstrate the ability to synthesize and integrate information and findings from diverse sources.
    • Effective Communication: Students will demonstrate an ability to communicate core concepts of anthropological science effectively in both written and oral formats.
    • Methods and Research Skills: Students will 1) demonstrate an understanding of current anthropological field and laboratory research methods and how these methods can be used to test hypotheses related to past and present human variation and adaptation in both cultural and biological contexts and 2) demonstrate an ability to analyze and interpret quantitative anthropological data based on statistics, graphs, and data tables.

    Disciplines

    Liberal Arts

    Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University

    Entry Requirements

    Penn State requires the submission of specific academic credentials to complete your application. Review the secondary and post-secondary requirements for your country below.

    If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

    Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

    After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

    After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

    All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

    If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

    If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

    • Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
    • Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

    English Requirements

    • IELTSMin 6.5
    • TOEFLMin 80

    Career Opportunities after Completing Bachelor of Anthropology

    Graduates with a B.A. in Anthropology from Penn State excel in diverse professional careers, ranging from academic research, law, medicine, and government to business, cultural resource management, non-governmental organizations, and education. Penn State Anthropology students develop a diversity of sought-after skills in problem-solving, analytical methods, teamwork, and effective oral and written communication. Students are strongly encouraged to become involved in departmental research while at Penn State to augment their training and enhance their prospects for employment or graduate study.

    Possible career paths include:

    • Human Services
    • Non-profit organizations
    • Non-governmental organizations
    • Law
    • Health professions
    • Human resources
    • Marketing
    • Public health
    • Government agencies: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), US Department of State-Foreign Service
    • Advanced research in the field

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE ANTHROPOLOGY PROGRAM

    Opportunities for Graduate Studies

    Anthropology majors will find that their undergraduate education is excellent preparation for the advanced training required for many professions. Our majors often go on to receive specialized graduate instruction in medicine, law, journalism, public administration, and virtually all of the "human services" fields. Although many professional schools require that undergraduate applicants have some specialized training (for example, chemistry courses for pre-med students), such course requirements are easily accommodated within the anthropology major. Most professional schools and graduate programs seek well-rounded, broadly educated applicants who can understand the implications of the advanced, specialized training they will receive in post-graduate training.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

    Professional Resources

    • American Anthropological Association
    • American Association of Physical Anthropologists
    • Society for American Anthropology

    Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University

    Application Fee 75

    How to Apply for Bachelor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University

    Step 1: Choose Your Application Method

    Apply through MyPennState

    The first step of the application process is to create a Penn State account, if you do not have one already. MyPennState is where future students can access the online application.

    If you are new to MyPennState, you will need to establish a Penn State User ID and password, which you will access during the MyPennState profile creation process. Once you have your log in information, you can sign in to begin work on your application.

    When creating the profile, please use the name that is on your passport. Because materials are filed alphabetically under the family name on the application, it is important that all correspondence and records consistently use the same name (family and given) and spelling. If this name does not match your academic records, please notify us of the difference. Please note: In the U.S., the family name is usually referred to as the last name, and the given name is referred to as the first name.

    Additionally, Penn State requires a current, valid email address, as that is our primary means of communication with international students. To ensure deliverability, please make Penn State (psu.edu) an eligible sender to the account.

    Applying through the Common App

    Applying to Penn State via the Common App is available to first-year (freshman) international students. If applying through the Common App, Penn State will create a MyPennState profile when the application is submitted and you will receive instructions on how to access your profile. If you intend to apply with the Common App, you do not need create a MyPennState profile prior to submitting your application.

    Step 2: Access the Application and Review Important Dates

    While you can create a MyPennState profile at any time, the application for admission becomes available on the following dates:

    Fall/Summer Admission: August 1

    Spring Admission: June 1

    The application submission dates vary by applicant type and intended program of study. Some programs have specific deadlines or admissions requirements. Please refer to our Dates & Deadlines for more information about application deadlines, as well as our Admissions Requirements to review information about any additional materials required for your intended program of study.

    Step 3: Start Your Penn State Application

    If applying through MyPennState:

    Click Apply Online to start your Penn State application. 

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR), unless otherwise directed. You will be directed to enter information about your secondary school coursework. Please have a copy of your secondary school records as you complete SRAR. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. You will need to enter every grade for every course you have taken in the last three years, as well as your current schedule of classes.

    Students educated in South Korea will not complete SRAR. The document requirements for South Korea can be found by reviewing our International Credential Requirements.

    After this section, you will be directed back to the Penn State application to complete the Program of Study portion. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for either first-year students or transfer students.

    After this portion, you will provide some additional application information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If applying through the Common App:

    Complete the Common App, which will then direct you to MyPennState to complete SRAR. Applicants using the Common App may feel that they provided their high school record via the Common App, but Penn State requires the completion of SRAR via MyPennState. We strongly encourage you to obtain an official copy of your high school transcript to ensure accurate entry of your coursework completed and grades earned. The SRAR will include all of your high school coursework from your last three years of work and your current year schedule. If your final year grades are available when you enter SRAR, you can enter them at that time.

    Step 4: Submit Your Application

    The application requires a nonrefundable application fee of $75 for international students. Be sure to complete the last step after Summary and Review, which finalizes payment of your fee, and be certain it is successfully submitted. Once the application is submitted, you can verify its completion by accessing your MyPennState profile.

    Step 5: Submit Required Application Materials

    In order to complete your Penn State application, we need the following materials:

    • Application
    • Secondary school record
    • Post-secondary school records (if applicable)
    • First-year applicants only: Official test scores: SAT (code #2660) or ACT (code #3656)

      Writing Component and Subject Tests

      Please note: The writing component of standardized tests (SAT or ACT) is not required. The writing component will not be used as part of our evaluation. If your test scores include the writing component, by all means, have those scores sent to Penn State. Additionally, we do not require SAT Subject Tests.

    • English language proficiency, if your native language is not English

    Please see the admissions requirements for international students to review the details about the required application materials. Some programs require additional items to complete your application. Please review our Admissions Requirements for those details.

    Penn State does not require letters of recommendation, nor are they used in a student’s evaluation (unless required for a specific program).

    Step 6: Check Your Application Status in MyPennState

    You can always check the status of your application in MyPennState. We will communicate with you via MyPennState and through a series of emails regarding the missing items for your application. When everything has arrived, you will see a status in MyPennState confirming the completion of your application.

    Please note: It is your responsibility to check on the status of your application and send us any missing materials.

    Step 7: Receive Your Admission Decision

    Once we have reached a decision regarding your application, we will update your status in MyPennState and provide a printable PDF of your decision letter. Review our Dates & Deadlines to see when you should expect your decision.

    If accepted, you can accept your offer of admission in MyPennState to begin the process of becoming a Penn State student. Visit our Accepted Students section to review the next steps in this process. Once you accept your offer of admission to Penn State, those students completing SRAR will submit their official records for validation purposes as soon as possible.

    Bachelor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America

    United States of America, University Park

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