Anthropology

Graduate Programs

The Anthropology department at Western Michigan University stresses a four field and integrative approach to the study of the human condition. Our two year MA program trains students broadly in Cultural and Linguistic anthropology, Archaeology and Biological Anthropology. While graduate students generally specialize in one of the sub-disciplines for their Thesis or Internship research, projects that span the sub-disciplines are welcomed and encouraged. The Anthropology department has close ties with the History Department at WMU and many of our students also receive a certificate in Ethnohistory.

Our program prepares students theoretically, methodological and experientially to pursue a broad range of careers, interests or educational programs after receiving their MA. Recent MA graduates are attending Ph.d. programs in Anthropology at a variety of institutions including University of Massachusetts, Amherst, University of Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt University and Harvard University. Other graduates are working in cultural resource management, studying for a masters degree in public health, teaching at college and university settings, working in museum settings and in the non-profit sector. The research and critical thinking skills developed in our MA program allow graduates to move with confidence in our increasingly multi-cultural world.