About the Department
The Department of Anthropology at Northern Illinois University is a community of scholars devoted to research, teaching, learning and service. We are a relatively small and student-oriented department. Upper-division classes generally have fewer than 20 students. Outside the classroom, we support an active anthropology club and there are numerous opportunities to participate in research projects with professors. Our goal is to provide students with a broad education across all aspects of anthropology, while also making the student an engaged learner through hand-on research and learning experiences. We prepare students for entry level jobs in fields as diverse as NGOs, government, museums and archaeology, or for advanced study through master’s or doctoral programs.
Our award-winning faculty are conducting world-class research worldwide, our graduate students are producing high-impact thesis projects that address serious issues, and our classrooms expose undergraduates to the depth and history of anthropology, as well as how it applies to current global problems. What’s more, we conduct extensive research and teaching to improve conditions for the most underprivileged people in unseen and vulnerable spaces, as well as for primate species on the brink of extinction.
We invite you to explore our courses and programs, connect with our community, and consider how Anthropology can shape your view of the world, either as an Anthropology major or MA student, or by engaging in Anthropology courses to complement another course of study.
