Athabasca University

What you'll study

Coursework covers distinct subfields and methods. Examples of sociocultural anthropology offerings include:

• ANTH 275 - Faces of Culture: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
• ANTH 362 - First Peoples of Canada
• ANTH 375 - The Anthropology of Gender
• ANTH 390 - Community-Based Research Methods
• ANTH 394 - City Living: The Anthropology of Urban Life
• ANTH 401 - Ethnography, the Writing of Culture
• ANTH 402 - Ethnographic Research Methods
• ANTH 434 - The History of Anthropological Thought
• ANTH 491 - Ethnobiology: Traditional Biological Knowledge in Contemporary Global Context
• ANTH 499 - Medical Anthropology

Linguistic anthropology is represented by courses such as ANTH 354 - Language and Culture.

Archaeology courses listed include ANTH 272 - Introduction to Archaeology; ANTH 277 - The Archaeology of Us: First Humans to First Civilizations; ANTH 320 - Ancient Cities & Civilizations; ANTH 377 - Ancient Cultures of North America; ANTH 405 - Special Topics in Archaeology; and ANTH 476 - Archaeological Theory. The programme description details archaeological subfields (prehistoric, historical, underwater, urban, bioarchaeology, and cultural resource management) and practical skills gained: teamwork, careful fieldwork, evidence analysis, report writing and problem solving.

Biological anthropology topics include paleoanthropology, anthropometry, genetics, primatology, osteology, paleopathology and forensic anthropology; the text highlights applied roles such as forensic identification in legal contexts.

Entry requirements

The source text does not specify admission criteria. Prospective students should consult Athabasca University's official admissions pages for formal prerequisites and application steps.

Career prospects

Graduates build transferable skills in research design, ethnographic and archaeological methods, data interpretation, scientific reasoning and written communication. Those competencies are applicable in cultural resource management, museum and heritage work, community‑based research, health and medical anthropology contexts, forensic assistance, and roles that require cross‑cultural understanding and qualitative research expertise.

Scholarships & funding angle

The programme text does not list specific scholarships. Students should review Athabasca University's scholarships, bursaries and external funding opportunities; funding searches often prioritize research awards, Indigenous student supports, and grants tied to archaeology or community‑based projects.