Department of Anthropology

Discover Your Focus

Research Facilities & Teaching Labs

Discover our state of the art teaching and research facilities.

Research

What our researchers share in common is a commitment to discovery. Through smart collaboration we are continuously expanding our depth and breadth of knowledge and exploring new ways of contributing to a brighter world.

Undergraduate Programs

The unique skills and perspectives that an Anthropology degree provides is an understanding about how we are all shaped by the cultural, social, political, and historical contexts in which we live.

Graduate Programs

Our anthropological research and graduate training program includes the archaeological, biological, and socialcultural subfields.

Latest News & Events

Tenure-Track Position Available, Biological Anthropology

We are seeking to appoint a biological anthropologist with research and teaching interests in disease, either infectious or non-communicable, in humans.

Jul 05, 2022

Meet Mac grad, Daniela Orsi

Daniela Orsi graduated this week with an undergraduate degree in anthropology. Daniela's love of learning about new cultures and people inspired her to pursue studies in anthropology, and now she's looking forward to a career in forensics.

Jun 17, 2022

Ending child hunger and food insecurity needs to be a top priority in Canada as well as globally

Tina Moffat, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, was recently featured in the Conversation.

Jun 08, 2022

How a broken food system feeds childhood obesity and undernutrition

Tina Moffat discusses her new book, Small Bites–Biocultural Dimension of Children's Food and Nutrition.

May 30, 2022

Recipients of the 2022 Undergraduate Student Research Awards Announced

This year, there are 13 recipients of the USRAs.

May 06, 2022

PhD Candidate Shalen Prado awarded Association for Environmental Archaeology (AEA) Small Research Grant

Apr 05, 2022

Learn about our Programs

B.A. Anthropology

The 3-year BA program will provide students with a foundation in the field of Anthropology and its main subfields.

Learn more

Hons.B.A. Honours Anthropology

The BA Honours program will provide students with a developed understanding of the discipline of Anthropology and its main subfields. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, communication, and problem solving, all of which are identified by potential employers as key skills needed for successful employment.

Learn more

Hons.B.A. Combined Honours in Anthropology and Another Subject

Students graduate with a double major in Anthropology and another subject.

Learn more

Minor Minor in Anthropology

The minor in Anthropology provides students in other disciplines the opportunity to learn about anthropological research, cross-cultural differences, and provides a broad understanding of the experience of being human.

Learn more

Minor Interdisciplinary Minor in Archaeology

The Interdisciplinary Minor in Archaeology is based on archaeology and archaeology-related courses offered in the School of Earth, Environment & Society, and in the Departments of Classics and Anthropology.

Learn more

M.A. Master of Arts in Anthropology

The department grants an M.A. in Anthropology in the following areas of specialization: Archaeology, Health, Biological, and Sociocultural. Students admitted to the M.A. program have the option of doing coursework and then 1) writing a MRP (1-year), or 2) writing a scholarly thesis (2-year) which demonstrates ability to conduct original research.

Learn more

Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology

Admission to the doctoral program is very competitive and is based on a consideration of demonstrated scholarly excellence, suitability of research interests, availability of appropriate supervision, and availability of openings. Most successful applicants have sufficient background in their area of specialization within anthropology to benefit from advanced training in the field.

Learn more