2025-2026 General Catalog
Source: https://catalog.ucdavis.edu/departments-programs-degrees/anthropology/anthropology-ab/ Parent: https://catalog.ucdavis.edu/departments-programs-degrees/#programsanddegreestext
Anthropology is the systematic study of humans. The student of anthropology learns about human biology, ecology, and social life—past and present—and gains a broad understanding of humans and societies. It is a diverse field, and the courses, faculty, and degree programs at UC Davis are subdivided into two wings—Evolutionary and Sociocultural.
Evolutionary A.B.
Evolutionary anthropologists are united by their common application of science and evolutionary theory to understand the behavior, ecology, history, and evolution of humans & non-human primates, as individuals and as societies. These topics may be approached through archaeology, human behavioral ecology, paleoanthropology, primatology, genetics, and conservation biology.
- Archaeology is the study of history or prehistory by analysis of a people's artifacts, or their material culture, with the goal of reconstructing culture history and human behavior.
- Human behavioral ecology is the study of how variation in ecology and social organization can help us understand variation in human behavior.
- Paleoanthropology is the study of human evolution through the fossil and archaeological records, drawing on relevant studies in biological anthropology, Paleolithic archaeology, genetics, and geology.
- Primatology is the study of the behavior, ecology, and morphology of primates to address questions about the evolution and function of behavioral and morphological patterns in nonhuman primates and to test models of the origins of human morphology and behavior.
- Genetic anthropology uses DNA to address anthropological questions about population histories, migrations, mixing, and adaptations to local contexts.
- Conservation biology explores the causes of loss of biological diversity—in this department, it focuses on threatened non-human primates and the conservation of natural resources by our rapidly growing human population.
A Bachelor of Arts degree provides broad training that includes all subfields of Anthropology.
Sociocultural A.B.
Sociocultural anthropologists study the varied ways in which people around the world organize their lives and interpret the circumstances in which they operate. Their main method is extended field research, which combines attention to global issues with the close study of human relations and culture. Among the themes addressed in the department's undergraduate courses are globalization and transnationalism; human ecology and environmental change; cultures of healing, health & medicine, the anthropology of law & global legal processes, the study of resistance, rebellion, & social control, the global spread of media & technology; migration, multiculturalism and urban life; colonialism and neocolonialism development and post-development; race, class & gender; politics & the political; cultures of everyday life; language use & discourse; and self, identity and family. Sociocultural anthropology thus offers a rich set of resources for understanding and engaging pressing issues in a globalizing world characterized by new forms of international culture and community as well as by increasing material inequality and political volatility.
General A.B.
The General emphasis in the Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology provides an interdisciplinary approach that integrates elements of both evolutionary and sociocultural anthropology into one curriculum. This emphasis allows students to take courses covering the spectrum of anthropological subdisciplines. This emphasis develops students’ abilities to apply both evolutionary and cultural concepts within anthropology as well as providing a solid theoretical foundation for both approaches. Based on the broad anthropological education covered in this emphasis, students gain transferable skills to be better equipped for a variety of careers; e.g., international development, cultural resource management, primate conservation, etc.
The Program
The Bachelor of Arts program is divided into three emphasis areas: the Evolutionary, Sociocultural, and General emphases. The Evolutionary and Sociocultural emphases parallel the two wings described above while the General emphasis allows students to select courses from both wings. Students interested in the study of recent and contemporary human societies should follow the Sociocultural emphasis. To obtain an A.B. degree in sociocultural anthropology, each student is required to complete courses that provide: (1) foundational skills, (2) language & cultural skills, (3) comprehensive skills, and (4) specialized skills. Students interested in the study of archaeology, primate studies, or human biology, ecology or origins should follow the Evolutionary Track. The A.B. degree offered by the Evolutionary emphasis provides general training in anthropology from an evolutionary perspective. The A.B. degree offered by the General emphasis provides interdisciplinary training in anthropology from both an evolutionary and sociocultural perspective. The Evolutionary Track also offers a B.S. degree that requires lower division coursework in math and science and upper division coursework in biological anthropology and closely related disciplines. Students planning on pursuing jobs in medical and other health-related fields after graduation may be especially interested in the B.S. degree.
Students in both tracks are encouraged to gain practical experience through courses taken while studying abroad (under the administration of the Global Learning Hub) and through undergraduate research or internships performed for credit (under ANT 192, ANT 198, or ANT 199 units provided by the advising office). Students showing exceptional ability are welcome to seek permission from instructors to participate in graduate seminars offered by the department.
Career Opportunities
A Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology is suited for students seeking a solid liberal arts education. With its broad goal to facilitate understanding across lines of cultural difference, sociocultural anthropology prepares students for lives that are influenced by increasingly pervasive cultural exchange, as well as cultural conflict, around the world. The program serves as excellent preparation for careers in which inter-cultural skills are increasingly needed, including social & environmental activism, business, diplomacy & social administration, journalism, law, education & international relations. Students who focus on evolutionary processes will be well prepared to enter fields such as medical or health anthropology, museum studies, cultural resource management, and wildlife conservation. A degree in anthropology with appropriate courses in education is good preparation for high school teaching in social, biological, and physical sciences. It also provides the foundation for advanced study leading to careers in college-level teaching and research.
Major Advisor
Connect with our advising office.
Honors Program
Candidates for high or highest honors in Anthropology must write a senior thesis under the direction of a faculty member. The thesis project will have a minimum duration of two quarters. Honors candidates must take at least 6 units of Anthropology ANT 194H. Only students who, at the end of their junior year (135 units), have attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.500 in Anthropology courses will be eligible for the honors program. The quality of the thesis work will be the primary determinant for designating high or highest honors at graduation. To learn more about participating in the ANT honors program, see Honors Program.
Teaching Credential Subject Representative
See the Teaching Credential/M.A. Program.
Graduate Study
The Department offers a program of study leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology. Further information regarding graduate study may be obtained at the Department website and at Graduate Studies.
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