Anthropology, Bachelor of Science
VCU
The Bachelor of Science in Anthropology champions a holistic comparative approach to the study of the emergence, evolution, and diverse development and expression of humanity. The program provides students with the knowledge and skills to investigate and understand the nature of human beings as they interact with and transform their social and natural conditions of existence. Students develop a deep appreciation for the diversity and unity of humanity and acquire the knowledge, experience, and skills to interact effectively with diverse populations and support mutually beneficial relations.
The degree introduces students to the methods of investigation and analysis used by scholars in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and to anthropology’s sub-disciplines of archaeological, biological, linguistic, and socio-cultural anthropology. In doing so, the B.S. in Anthropology provides a well-rounded understanding of the interacting complexity of forces that we shape and which shape who we are. The Anthropology degree provides a strong foundation in the theories and practices of anthropology and flexibility for students to pursue their own course of study. As is true with World Studies’ degrees in Foreign Languages, International Studies, and Religious Studies, Anthropology offers students opportunities to engage in real world learning through internships, lab-based and field research, and study abroad programs.
Students of anthropology acquire many skills relevant in today’s increasingly globalized economy in which the ability to communicate across cultures, think creatively, and see the world from diverse perspectives are vital to career success and life satisfaction. Anthropology majors are well prepared to work in public and private educational and cultural institutions, such as museums and preservation sites, as well as multinational corporations. All rely on persons with knowledge of human development and expression over time and place, have an appreciation for diverse forms of human experience and expression, and can understand and interact with diverse employees and customers.
Furthermore, students focusing on biological anthropology often follow professional paths in collection management, forensic science, or zoology. Anthropology majors graduate with excellent verbal and written communication skills transferable to a wide range or professions, making Anthropology majors especially valuable to growing businesses that seek to expand their operations into new areas requiring creativity, translating across cultures, and appreciation for human differences. Earning a B.S. in Anthropology is also considered an excellent foundation for advanced degrees in medicine, dentistry and other health-related fields.
We encourage students to double-major in Anthropology and one of the other majors degrees in the School of World Studies: Foreign Languages, International Studies or Religious Studies, as doing so strengthens their cumulative knowledge, experience, academic record and resume for success in whatever path they choose after graduation.
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Telephone: (804) 827-1349
Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu
VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist
Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638
Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.
Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
- MATH 131
- STAT 210
- 1-2 additional science courses
- Yes
- No
- 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.25+ major GPA
Anthropology, Bachelor of Science
Rappahannock Community College (Associate of Arts and Sciences: Psychology/Social Work Specialization)
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING | GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY | DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY | EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS | PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE | ||
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Explore | Year 1 |
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Experience | Year 2 |
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MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
- Register for SDV course.
- Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes and be prepared to request tutoring assistance.
- Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester and cultivate relationships with your professors.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Participate in student activities at RCC.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
- Review VCU's School of World Studies website for course requirements and possible connections with faculty and peers.
- Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend diversity-focused events on campus or in your community.
- Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
- Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Create LinkedIn profile.
- Get involved with a student or professional organization.
- Explore services provided by the Office of Career and Transition Services.
- Upload your resume to the College Central Network.
- Browse careers related to anthropology through the Virginia Wizard.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and VCU and explore Career Pathways on VCU Career Services’ Website.
- Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
- Take a career assessment through the Virginia Wizard.
- Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
- Use Navigate to remain on your pathway.
- Meet with your RCC academic advisor.
- Learn about the World ePass and start considering how you will fulfill the experiential learning requirement for the bachelor's degree.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
- Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of World Studies and consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
- Research housing for next year.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
- Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
- Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week.
- Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Find out about VCU REAL and the REAL graduation requirement.
- Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
- Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
- Run for leadership in your student organization.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
- Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
- Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
- Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
Anthropology, Bachelor of Science
Rappahannock Community College (Associate of Arts and Sciences: Psychology/Social Work Specialization)
Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
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SDV 100 | College Success Skills | UNIV 101 | 1 | Elective |
ENG 111 | College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. | UNIV 111-112 | 3 | General education |
HIS | Approved Transfer History | HIST | 3 | General education |
MTH 154 | Quantitative Reasoning | MATH 131 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
Laboratory Science | BIO 101 General Biology I | BIOL/Z 151 | 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
PSY 200 | Principles of Psychology | PSYC 101 | 3 | General education |
ENG 112 | College Composition II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education |
HIS | Approved Transfer History | HIST | 3 | General education |
MTH 245 | Statistics I | STAT 210 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
Laboratory Science | Approved Transfer Lab Science (select 1): BIO 101, CHM 101, CHM 111, PHY 101, PHY 150, PHY 201 | VCU equivalent | 4 | General education |
Humanities | Approved Transfer Humanities/Fine Arts | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
ITE 119 | Information Literacy | INFO 160, 161, 168 | 3 | Elective |
ENG | Approved 200 Level American or English Literature | ENGL | 3 | General education |
PSY 230 | Developmental Psychology | PSYC 304 | 3 | Elective |
SOC 200 | Principles of Sociology | SOCY 101 | 3 | General education |
Transfer elective | Transfer elective (foreign language 101 recommended; see note below about VCU's foreign language requirement) | VCU equivalent | 3 to 4 | General education |
Humanities | Approved Transfer Humanities/Fine Arts | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
SOC 210 | Survey of Physical and Cultural Anthropology | ANTH 103 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
Transfer elective | Transfer elective (foreign language 102 recommended; see note below about VCU's foreign language requirement) | VCU equivalent | 3 to 4 | General education |
Transfer elective | Approved Transfer Elective | VCU equivalent | 3 | Elective |
HLT/PED | Health/Physical Education Elective | VCU equivalent | 1 | Elective |
Rappahannock credits transferred to VCU | 61 to 63 |
Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
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Foreign language through the 102 level. (if not completed at Rappahannock) (This requirement can be fulfilled by means of completion of the 102-level of a language or waived if the student completed up through the third level of a foreign language in high school. Additionally, language waiver and placement testing options are available for native or heritage speakers of a non-english language.) | 0 to 8 | General education | |
Experiential learning requirement. Students must fulfill an experiential learning requirement through an approved internship, service-learning course or study abroad program. See VCU advisor for options. | 0 to 3 | Major (Ancillary) | |
World ePass Portfolio (see VCU advisor). The World ePass portfolio content requirements include professional preparation, transferable skills articulation, academic career highlights, experiential learning experiences and global citizenship. | 0 | Major (Ancillary) | |
ANTH 105 | Introduction to Archaeology | 3 | Major |
ANTH 301 | Human Evolution | 4 | Major |
ANTH 302 | Archaeological Theory | 3 | Major |
ANTH 399 | Junior Seminar | 1 | Major |
ANTH 454 | Theory in Cultural Anthropology | 3 | Major |
ANTH 490 | Anthropology Senior Capstone | 3 | Major |
ANTH | Select two of the following: ANTH 210, ANTH 220, ANTH 230 | 6 | Major |
ANTH | Select at least two courses sampling 1 of 3 upper level elective groups that are focused on biological anthropology, archaeology or cultural/linguistic anthropology (see VCU advisor for course options) | 6 | Major |
ANTH | Methods Requirement: Select 2 from ANTH 303, 315, 328 | 6 | Major |
Upper-level electives (300 or 400-level courses): consider a minor or a second major. Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. | 19 | Elective | |
Open elective | 3 to 5 | Elective | |
Credits completed at VCU | 57 to 59 | ||
Bachelor's degree total | 120 |