The Biological Anthropology programme guarantees a progressive development of your knowledge and skills. This is achieved primarily through the use of compulsory and prerequisite modules.
The course is broadly structured around three themes: Human Origins and Archaeology; Primate Evolution, Behaviour and Conservation; Human-Environment Interactions.
In the first year youÕll gain an understanding of the key concepts of both the Biological and Social Anthropology via four compulsory introductory modules. This integration will allow you to grow essential disciplinary knowledge and skills for advanced and honours modules in the following two years.
Year 1
- Introduction to Social Anthropology
- Deep History
- Introduction to Biological Anthropology
- Introduction to Environmental Geography
You will also enrol on one or more of our Ôtop-upÕ modules, Biodiversity and Foundations of Biological Psychology, plus modules of your choice, from the range of modules available across the university.
Year 2 and 3
In Year 2 you must take one 'compulsory' module, Methods and Analysis in Biological Anthropology. This is complemented by a range of modules from within biological anthropology and a selection of modules taught in social anthropology, geography, animal biology, environmental sciences, and psychology which relate closely to themes addressed in biological anthropology.
In year 3 you will take a total of at least 6 honours modules including your own research project for the compulsory Biological Anthropology Dissertation, building on the skills developed during the previous two years.
Career prospects:
Biological Anthropology, with its comparative perspective as well as its emphasis on research and human interactions with the environment, gives students flexibility and a wider view of the world which often proves attractive to employers. Our graduates have made successful careers in a wide variety of professions, including research at universities and colleges, contract archaeologists, international development, non-governmental organisations, charity organisations, environment and conservation organisations, zoo keepers or officers, teaching, film and journalism, museum and heritage management, and forensic (medical/legal) consultation (skeletal identification or DNA fingerprinting) for law enforcement agencies. Students also often go on to postgraduate study.
Visiting speakers from various employment sectors including government, international development, non-governmental organisations and charities, and environmental conservation, are invited to deliver lectures and seminars. Researchers from national and international institutions are invited to weekly seminar series hosted by our Faculty Research Centres which include The Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, The Europe Japan Research Centre, The Centre for Global Politics, Economy and Society, and the seminar series hosted by the Primate Conservation MSc course. Students also have access to the events hosted by the University Careers and Employment Centre.
