Biology/Anthropology

Combined major offered by the Department of Anthropology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Biology, College of Science and Engineering.

Biological/Anthropology is the study of both present and past human variation relative to local ecologies and cultures. Biological Anthropologists specialize in Human or Primate Anatomy, Paleoanthropology, Genetics, Disease Ecology, Growth and Development, Forensic Anthropology and Osteology, Medical Anthropology or Primate Behavior and Primatology.

Biological Anthropology’s program hones a holistic appreciation of multifactorial components underlying the human condition. Its interdisciplinary bio-cultural model examines the integrated effects of human behavior, ecology, culture, physiology and genetics/epigenetics on human adaptation, biological variation, the continuum of health and disease, and ultimately, evolution. The perspective is both local and global, and includes studies comparing current and past populations. Biological anthropologists are frequently found in medically associated positions because of their expertise in human anatomy, genetics, nutrition, growth and development and physiology. Additionally, the technological expansion in the study of nonhuman primates allows increasing capacity to understand ecological and historical variables influencing primate anatomy, physiology, and evolution, and enhance their conservation.

The Biology/Anthropology major is a concentration on Human Biology and Behavioral Science. This major is more flexible than the Biology/Anthropology B.S. but is also excellent preparation for the applied health careers and graduate programs in Biological Anthropology. Check the course requirements for your postgraduate applied health programs to make sure you take all the appropriate prerequisites.

The importance of a strong biology background is reflected in the dual Anthropology/Biology Combined Major. Undergraduate training in Biological Anthropology provides the requisite background for some entry-level technical positions in disease control, at population centers, blood centers, forensic laboratories, medical schools and universities; and can serve as the basis for more advanced studies in the health-related professions (e.g. doctor, nurse, physician’s assistant) as well as primate conservation, field work opportunities, science outreach and communication careers.