Best Online Bachelor's in Anthropology

We analyzed the numbers for you and came up with the following eight online bachelor's degrees in anthropology. Using data provided by the U.S. Department of Education, we've balanced all the information on graduation rates, student retention, and program features to create this ranking list. We didn't forget about affordability and accessibility, both of which are key factors when considering an online degree option.

If you're looking for a university with an excellent online course format which also provides their student body with career resources and hands-on experiences, then a degree on this list is right for you!

1. Southern New Hampshire University

Tuition	Acceptance Rate	Graduation Rate	Financial Aid %	Placement Services	Career Services	Accepts
$31,136	88%	44%	77%	Yes	Yes	AP / ACE / NCCRS Credits

Southern New Hampshire University's Bachelor of the Arts in Anthropology prides itself on its experiential online degree that links the topics of science and humanities to prepare students for their future. With a generous transfer credit option and credit received for prior learning experiences, this program explores, identifies and promotes current cultural awareness in our society and also offers a concentration in the growing field of environmental sustainability. This online degree is tailored to students that need schedule flexibility at an affordable cost. The university boasts one of the lowest online tuition rates in the country with a discount for U.S. service members and their spouses. After graduation, students of this program will find peers and faculty that offer relevant support and expertise within the university's massive alumni network.

2. Troy University

Tuition	Acceptance Rate	Graduation Rate	Financial Aid %	Placement Services	Career Services	Accepts
$8,908	88%	47%	92%	Yes	Yes	AP / NCCRS Credits

In the second spot, Troy University's Bachelor of Science in Anthropology boasts a program that prepares students through both cultural anthropology and archaeology courses for the career field or a related graduate program. Taught by faculty with experience in regions such as the southwestern United States, Australia, and the Near East, students will leave the program prepared for the job field, a masters or a doctorate degree in anthropology. Additionally, the university provides online accelerated law degree with a focus on anthropology for those students with a passion in both fields of study.

3. University of Florida

Tuition	Acceptance Rate	Graduation Rate	Financial Aid %	Placement Services	Career Services	Accepts
$6,381	37%	88%	92%	Yes	Yes	AP Credits

The University of Florida offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology that opens job opportunities for students looking for careers in government, the private sector, community organizations, research institutions, or the media. Students have several concentration choices including cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistics. The University of Florida takes a unique approach in this field of study with a broad-based liberal arts foundation. Their online program is an affordable option for those students looking for a flexible degree that provides the same experienced faculty and rigorous academic program as they would have in an on-campus setting.

4. University of Central Florida

Tuition	Acceptance Rate	Graduation Rate	Financial Aid %	Placement Services	Career Services	Accepts
$6,368	44%	72%	92%	Yes	Yes	AP Credits

The University of Central Florida makes our ranking with their online Bachelor of the Arts in Anthropology. This program strives to fit student lifestyles with a flexible online class format at an affordable cost. This degree takes the unique holistic approach of linking the past and present of humanity. Upon completion, students will be able to conduct research and fieldwork through various and current methods in the field of anthropology. The university also helps to ensure their students will succeed with some of the best online student support services, such as a writing center, tips for time management while learning online, and financial aid assistance.

5. University of Memphis

Tuition	Acceptance Rate	Graduation Rate	Financial Aid %	Placement Services	Career Services	Accepts
$9,912	85%	53%	97%	Yes	Yes	AP / ACE Credits

A Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Memphis takes the number five spot on our list. This program offers students options of an entirely online degree or a combination with courses on campus. Students in this program also have access to many resources through the Department of Anthropology including membership opportunities in four different professional organizations, such as the American Anthropology Association or the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology. The university also provides employment resources to ensure students find the right career in the field upon graduation.

6. Oregon State University

Tuition	Acceptance Rate	Graduation Rate	Financial Aid %	Placement Services	Career Services	Accepts
$11,715	82%	67%	85%	Yes	Yes	AP Credits

Oregon State University offers prospective students either a Bachelor of Science or Arts in Anthropology with four areas of studies in archaeology, biocultural, cultural/linguistic, and general anthropology. With a generous transfer credit program, students that pursue this online degree are able to choose from course topics such as forensic anthropology, global conflicts, natural resources and community values, and even North America after the Ice Age. Oregon State University prides itself on the benefits of its online learning community with a regionally accredited program including curriculum developed by world-class faculty. Alumni of this program have obtained careers in the U.S. Forest Service, State of Oregon, U.S. Bureau of Lang Management, U.S. Department of Defense, and even the Government of Japan.

7. Western Illinois University

Tuition	Acceptance Rate	Graduation Rate	Financial Aid %	Placement Services	Career Services	Accepts
$12,940	57%	51%	88%	Yes	Yes	AP / ACE / NCCRS Credits

A Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology at Western Illinois University offers students courses online, on-campus, or a combination of both, which is just one reason why it makes our list. This plan of study emphasizes a holistic education with a special focus on environmental issues in anthropology, the only program of its kind in the state. The program has an objective to understand environmental problems through a scientific viewpoint with a focus on conflicting perspectives from national, regional, local, and indigenous cultures. Students are encouraged to become involved in related student organizations, including American Anthropological Association and the university's own Western Anthropology and Sociology Club.

8. Washington State University

Tuition	Acceptance Rate	Graduation Rate	Financial Aid %	Placement Services	Career Services	Accepts
$11,841	76%	60%	89%	Yes	Yes	AP / ACE Credits

Washington State University offers a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology for students looking for an online degree option that covers the core foundations, concepts, and practices of the field. This program rounds out our ranking with its offering of courses through the topics of archaeology and biological, linguistic, and cultural anthropology. The program also gives students an option of furthering their experience with internships and fieldwork opportunities throughout their degree program. Washington State University's Global Campus provides many opportunities to its online students through a Center of Civic Engagement, a showcase for research work, a student government, and a global community to connect with peers and other experts in their field of study.

To get a more in-depth look at our school ranking methodology, please visit Study.com's ranking methodology page.

Tuition information is based on published tuition and required fees, per data by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Online Associate Degrees in Anthropology

The Associate of Arts (AA) in Anthropology degree is best suited to those who wish to dip their toes into the field. While an associate degree can help one get a job as an administrative or laboratory assistant, those who want to work as anthropologists require either a master's degree or a doctorate. With its lighter course load, usually amounting to around 60 credit hours, an online associate degree is a flexible way to prepare for a bachelor's degree in anthropology. Many colleges that offer both are designed so that students who earn the associate degree can transfer all or most of their credits toward their bachelor's degree. This is because an associate degree prepares the foundation for a career in anthropology with courses in statistics, social sciences, and relevant electives.

Online associate's are available but not common. These programs also tend to follow the semester or trimester model typical of most bachelor's programs, given that the associate degree is generally designed as preparation for the bachelor's degree, thus accelerated learning is usually not available.

Online Bachelor's Degrees in Anthropology

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Anthropology begins or continues a student's education in the core themes and methodologies of the discipline. Anthropology is the scientific inquiry into humans, human societies, cultures, and cultural products. The field is interdisciplinary, which means that it combines knowledge and practices from several other disciplines to come to its own conclusions. To examine peoples of the past, what they believed and what they created, anthropologists have to use techniques from linguistics, history, biology, religious studies, chemistry, and many others. The core courses of most bachelor's programs in anthropology tend to cover the basics of these topics, and usually do so over the course of 120 credit hours.

When selecting among online anthropology programs, it is important to look at the degree requirements. Some are fully online, but many are based around hybrid learning models where some courses (often electives) can be taken online, but core courses, labs, or capstone courses are only offered on campus. Programs also differ in term length. Some more traditional degree programs are segmented into 2 or 3 terms, but accelerated online degrees sometimes have as many as 6 terms in a school year, with each only taking 8 weeks to complete.

In addition to the jobs an associate degree holder can attain, someone with a bachelor's degree might work for a research organization.

Online Master's Degrees in Anthropology

Master's degrees in anthropology can either be a Master of Arts (MA) or, less commonly, a Master of Science (MS) for the more quantitatively inclined programs. An MA in anthropology is a widespread title for this degree, but occasionally programs will focus on more specific areas or outcomes, such as with an MA in applied anthropology or anthropology and archaeology. These programs can take up to 2-3 years to complete, though some accelerated programs are either a year or year and a half in length. Master's programs for anthropology generally expect students to complete 30-36 credit hours to earn their degrees. As with bachelor's programs, it is important to double-check course requirements for an MA or MS. Some programs are fully online, while others have certain classes where in-person is the only option.

The courses at this level anticipate proficiency with anthropology's fundamentals. These fundamentals are further built upon, and generally a subfield of expertise is encouraged. Anthropology is a broad field, and thus students cannot be experts on everything within it. For instance, if one is interested in languages and their role in society, then they could focus on linguistic anthropology. An MA in this field is usually undertaken with the goal of pursuing a doctoral degree afterward. One job available with this degree is teaching anthropology at the collegiate level. While most universities require a doctorate, certain community colleges will accept applications from those with an MA or MS.

Online Doctoral Degrees in Anthropology

Typically, the doctoral degree in this field is called a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Anthropology. Specializations from master's programs continue and deepen, and a greater emphasis is placed on the production and presentation of scholarly research. Whether one is planning to teach anthropology or practice it out in the field, familiarity with academic methods of collecting, verifying, and interpreting data is paramount.

Doctoral programs in anthropology are designed around in-person teaching and labs, though a few might have distance learning options. Fully online degrees are rarely offered at this level, as the curriculum is usually based around field work or lab work, and thus only some of the courses necessary to attain most PhD's can be held remotely.

On average, earning a doctorate in anthropology takes 4-6 years. A student coming directly from a master's program may take 7 or 8 years to complete their degree depending on the institution. Credit hours typically vary from the low 40s to the low 70s. Some universities allow core courses completed in a master's program to be put toward one's doctoral degree. Most PhD curricula require proficiency in a foreign language relevant to the student's area of study. Proficiency can be determined either through an exam or in some cases via previous course credits from foreign language classes. Those who have attained a PhD in anthropology can teach at a wide variety of universities or go on to do field work pertaining to their specialization.

Online Certificates in Anthropology

Anthropology certificates can help graduates further stand out as specialists in their subfields. Many certificates have specific focuses like organizational anthropology, which could put a human resources job applicant at the head of the pack, or museum studies, which does much the same but for those applying to work at museums. Certificate programs are less demanding than degree programs, with most requiring between 12-18 credit hours, and oftentimes courses that go toward a certificate can also be put toward earning one's degree. Not every anthropology certificate is offered via online courses, but many of those that are have accelerated schedules with asynchronous classes. Non-accelerated programs are usually based around virtual lectures.

Graduates with anthropology degrees rarely if ever go on to become unspecialized anthropologists. Such jobs do not really exist because anthropology is a complex field, and many of the jobs one can obtain with a degree do not even have anthropologist in the title. This is why specialization is encouraged or outright mandated in most anthropology programs. Archaeology, social anthropology, cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, and linguistic anthropology are the major subfields of the discipline, though one can specialize even further. For example, forensic anthropology is a concentration within physical anthropology where one examines skeletal remains to establish a profile or the identity of a body in conjunction with law enforcement.

Anthropology curricula are broad in scope, though most share similar foundational courses. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to find an undergraduate anthropology program that did not have one or more classes on culture. Depending on the school and concentrations, culture will be examined through various lenses, such as politics, history, language, and several other vectors. Statistics is also common to most of these programs given their focus on the examination and collection of research data. Specializations often funnel students into their own particular core coursework. Some universities might have every anthropology student take an introductory archaeology class, while others might limit such courses to those who have declared that as their specialization. Whether as electives or as core coursework, classes surveying specific regions of the world, like Latin America or Africa, are also quite common. Other typical courses include:

• Methods in Anthropology
• World Cultures
• Human Origins and Evolution
• Geospatial Science
• Anthropology in the Contemporary World
• World Ethnography
• Medical Anthropology

While some colleges with online bachelor's in anthropology follow a more traditional in-person schedule, many allow students to enroll at any point during the year and take classes at their own pace. On average, bachelor's degrees take 4 years to complete, but one pursuing an online BA can do so at an accelerated rate depending on a given program's flexibility. Most bachelor's degrees in anthropology consist of at least 120 credit hours, and some require certain courses (usually upper level and capstone) to be taken on-site as opposed to online. If you are interested in this area, you can start the process by checking out some free online anthropology courses.

The discipline of anthropology has no specific accreditation agency for programs in the field, and this holds true for online programs as well. When looking for an online degree program it is best to consult with a relevant regional or national accreditation agency to ensure that one will be eligible to apply for Title IV federal student aid.

Accreditation ensures that institutions and the degree programs that they provide are trustworthy. One of the main accreditation agencies that handles online institutions is the Distance Education Accrediting Commission. Another useful resource for checking on the accreditation status of online programs is the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs. This database assembles information reported to the Department of Education by each of the federally recognized accreditation agencies.

When applying to entry-level positions in anthropology, one's degree and the experience obtained while earning it are sufficient. A few subfields have post-graduate accreditation one could seek out to boost their prospects, but these are rarely necessary. An example of this is forensic anthropology, which in the United States has the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, an organization that accredits distinguished individuals in the profession. Alternatively, if one is interested in becoming an archivist, a position one might get at a museum, then they can look into the Academy of Certified Archivists for certification.

Careers in anthropology do not require licensure or certification. A master's degree or PhD, work experience, and academic contributions are what employers in the field look at when making hiring and promotion decisions.

A career in anthropology can vary greatly depending on a graduate's degree and specialization. Those with master's degrees or PhD's typically either work in academia or out in the field, collecting research data on specific groups of people or their artifacts.

How to Become a Medical Anthropologist

Becoming a medical anthropologist typically requires a graduate degree in medical anthropology. This subfield emphasizes human health, diseases and illnesses, their causes, how they spread, and how best to treat them. Not every medical anthropologist will have to tackle each of these responsibilities, but most jobs deal with the interplay of two or more of these emphases. In general, medical anthropologists have to think analytically and be able to make inferences between data sets from different sources and disciplines. Networking between various organizations, both private and governmental, especially within the health sector, is also a feature of most positions, so communication skills are also a must. On average, medical anthropologists make $62,920 per year, according to Comparably.com, and the BLS projects that job growth will increase by 5 percent from 2019-2029 for all anthropologists.

How to Become a Paleontologist

Paleontologists are expected to possess a PhD. Because of this and their technical skill set, PayScale.com puts the median yearly pay for paleontologists at $58,513, and the BLS estimates that between 2019-2029 job opportunities in the discipline will increase by 5 percent. Paleontologists can teach their subject at universities, work in labs examining artifacts or remains, work out in the field overseeing technicians as they carefully uncover and document ancient objects, or some combination thereof. All of these tasks call for a mastery of one or more geosciences, people skills, and an ability to lead and coordinate others.

Prospective students who need financial assistance should apply for federal aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Completing this will show one whether they are eligible for student aid from the federal government, and if so how much. Besides this, students can also look into state and local financial assistance. Other avenues of monetary support are institutions and scholarship programs. The American Anthropological Association (AAA) has aggregated several grants and fellowships specifically for those pursuing degrees in anthropology.

Professional organizations dedicated to anthropology range from the broad to the specific. The majority of these organizations are centered around recognizing talent within the discipline and its subfields, designating standards, and acting as resources for aspiring or up-and-coming anthropologists.

• American Anthropological Association is a national organization concerned with furthering the scholastic pursuits of the discipline and aiding the careers of individual anthropologists. Its site has several resources on topics from methodological best practices to a career center where one can upload their resume for prospective employers to view. The AAA hosts an internship program for students, and has both its own fellowships and a listing of grants offered by several universities and scholarship programs. Beyond all this, the AAA also oversees various anthropology-centric publications.
• Society for Medical Anthropology (SMA) is a smaller organization within the AAA. Instead of serving the entire field, the SMA is focused on catering to scholars, professionals, and activists working in medical anthropology. The SMA is a source for news, research, and contacts within the discipline's medical subfield. It also awards individuals who have led distinguished careers or whose scholarly contributions have been exemplary.
• American Association for Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) is a national organization for students and professionals in the subfield of physical anthropology. The AAPA sets standards and guidelines for their members and the broader field. Additionally, it offers awards and grants to both graduates and undergraduates, and handles the publication of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
• World Archaeological Congress (WAC) is an international organization aimed at bringing together archaeologists from across the globe. WAC is a community-focused resource for both education and career development. As a non-governmental organization, one of WAC's main goals is promoting cooperation among archaeologists from different countries. It aims to achieve this through publications, meeting events, and grants.

As mentioned above, accredited institutions are what most students will want to look for when choosing their intended program. Beyond accreditation though, there are other things one can search for when trying to find the best online anthropology degree. Students should try to find out information about a schools' faculty. Seeking out a program with well-established instructors who have made notable contributions to the field usually leads to a more enriching education. Another related consideration is whether or not a program offers internships or work study opportunities. Guided courses that require students to intern with or shadow someone working in anthropology serve as great learning experiences and help boost future hiring prospects.

Not all online programs have rolling admission. Some anthropology degrees can be earned at one's own pace, but others operate on the more traditional semester or trimester model, which do not always allow for accelerated learning. Cost is another important factor for most students, and so is financial aid. One should always consider the programs they are applying to in conjunction with whatever local, state, or federal aid they are hoping to get.

While many instructors that teach in-person classes are required to keep office hours, this is not always the case with online programs. If one thinks that they might need help with certain courses in their degree beyond what is offered in the course, they should look into if their instructors will be available outside of class time. This information is not usually available in online course descriptions, and will likely require prospective students to call or email the registrar for their intended program.