Image of four students examing bone replicas in an anthropology lab.

Anthropology: Engaging Human Problems

What is Anthropology?

Anthropology is the holistic study of human cultures. It deals with our origins; physical and cultural development; biological characteristics; belief systems; social, political, and economic organization; and customs of peoples and cultures. Through the many perspectives of anthropology, the field is linked to psychology, biology, sociology, chemistry, medicine, history, and the earth sciences. Because of its broad and holistic approach to the study of culture, anthropology is unique in comparison to other fields of inquiry.

Our Programs

We offer an Anthropology Major, an Anthropology Major with Community Development Certification, an Anthropology Major with Teacher Certification K-5, a Combined Anthropology BA/Sustainability Sciences MA, and an Anthropology Minor. In collaboration with the Department of Classics and General Humanities, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and the Program in Art History, we also offer an interdisciplinary Minor in Archaeology. Most recently, we have added an Urban Humanities Minor.

Programs of Study

Careers or Skills Gained

Anthropologists work in laboratories, classrooms, communities, and corporate settings. We work for universities; federal agencies; state, county, and local governments; hospitals; community organizations; non-governmental organizations; environmental groups; heritage management firms; foreign aid organizations; police departments; among others. Majoring in anthropology at Montclair State will prepare you for positions in a wide variety of non-academic jobs or for graduate study leading to a career in university teaching and research.

Careers in Anthropology

Julian Brash talking with Anthropology students at New York City's High Line park.

Our Faculty

As a group, our faculty conduct research and offer courses in all of the four subfields of anthropology: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, physical anthropology, and archaeology.

Meet our Faculty

Contact Us

Contact Anthropology

Location:: Dickson Hall, Room 170
Phone:: 973-655-7031
Email:: anthropology@yuncao.net