Requirements

Major Requirements: (talk also the undergrad advisor, as new courses are added)

Lower Division Prerequisites (3 total)

  • Anthro 1: Introduction to Biological Anthropology
  • Anthro 2 or 2AC: Introduction to Archaeology
  • Anthro 3 or 3AC: Introduction to Social Cultural Anthropology

Note: The three lower division pre-requisites may be taken in any order.

Upper Division Required Courses (9 total)

  • Anthro 114: History of Anthropological Thought
  • Biological Core: Chose from Anthropology courses numbered for example 100-112, 127A-C 
  • Archaeology Core: Choose from Anthropology courses numbered for example 121-136A, 174AC
  • Sociocultural Core: Chose from Anthropology courses numbered for example 115-119, 136B, 137-189A
  • Five Anthropology Electives: Choose five (5) from Anthropology courses numbered 100-196; graduate seminars numbered 200-280 can satisfy this requirement

Be sure to include at least one Area course and one Methods course in the nine upper-division courses.

  • Area courses are numbered 121-125, 128A, 170-188, 189A
  • Methods courses are numbered C100, C103, 121C, 127A, 128M, 131,132, 132A, 134, 134A, 135A, 136A-I, 138B, 139, 160AC, 169A, 169B

Notes on completing the major:


Lower division courses may be completed in any order.


Anthropology 114, offered in spring, should be completed in the junior year if possible. Anthropology
114 must be completed before starting the senior thesis program.


Juniors should plan on taking a section of Anth 196, the upper-division Undergraduate Seminar in fall or
spring. Students considering the senior honors thesis program will be expected to have successfully
completed a section of Anth 196.


Courses taken to satisfy the Area or Method requirement simultaneously satisfy one of the 9 required
upper division courses. Examples:

  • Anthropology 189A will satisfy both the Area requirement and one of the 5 electives
  • Anthropology 132A will satisfy both the Methods and the Archaeology Core.

All courses taken to satisfy the major requirements must be taken on a letter-graded basis.


A minimum of 5 upper division requirements must be completed in the Anthropology Department at
Berkeley. A maximum of four courses taken at other institutions (including those of the Education
Abroad Program, (EAP) of UC system ) may be used to meet upper-division major requirements subject
to faculty review and approval. Submit a Course Substitution petition and provide a detailed syllabus (not
a course description), the course reading list and a personal statement addressing the appropriateness of a
given course to be a proper substitution for a Berkeley anthropology course.

Students considering a major in Anthropology should be aware that according to Academic Senate rules,
those who fail to attain an average of two grade points for each unit of work taken in a department
may, at the option of that department, be denied the privilege of pursuing a major program in that
department.