Banner image with photo of students excavating and sifting at field school. Design with white, gold, and green decorative background and text reads Archaeology.

Students in the Archaeology concentration learn how past societies interacted with each other and shaped the landscapes and environments they inhabited by excavation and analysis of their material culture. Our students acquire theoretical and foundational knowledge in the classroom and acquire practical skills via experiential learning through lab work and our Archaeology Field School and can earn a certificate in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies. With a concentration in archaeology students learn how to preserve, catalogue, and manage cultural resources, use technologies such as LiDAR and remote sensing, and learn methods based in geoarchaeology and geophysics to understand past populations and relay that knowledge to the greater archaeology and general public.  

Our archaeology faculty research and teach courses that explore archaeology in Colorado, the Americas, and globally with expertise in the following areas:

  • Andean archaeology
  • Ancient Mediterranean Societies
  • Archaeogeophysics
  • Cultural Resource Management
  • Eastern North American Archaeology
  • Geoarchaeology
  • Hunter-gatherer ecology
  • Inca and Spanish empires
  • Landscape archaeology
  • Lithic technology
  • Mesoamerican archaeology
  • Mining communities
  • Paleo-Indian studies
  • Public archaeology
  • Remote sensing and LiDAR
  • Rocky Mountain and Plains archaeology
  • Taphonomy
  • Zooarchaeology

Faculty also provide many opportunities to work in labs and research centers including: the Archaeological Repository, Center for Archaeology and Remote Sensing, the Archaeology Lab, the Center for Mountain and Plains Archaeology (CMPA), the Center for Research in Archaeogeophysics and Geoarchaeology (CRAG) and Center for the Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML).

Careers in Archaeology

Graduates in archaeology have the skills to build careers in government agencies, cultural resource management (CRM), historical preservation, law, public education, and museum curation.

Careers in archaeology include:

  • Cultural resources specialist
  • Environmental archaeologist
  • National Park Service technician
  • Archaeology project manager
  • Museum director and collections manager
  • Geospatial analyst
  • Archaeology lab director
     

​Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, students will be able to:

  1. Comprehend Human Diversity – Explain how culture, language, biology, and history shape human experiences across the world and through time.
  2. Use Research Skills – Apply basic methods such as interviews, observation, and data analysis to study people and societies past and present.
  3. Think Critically – Compare different perspectives and evaluate evidence before drawing conclusions.
  4. Communicate Clearly – Express ideas about anthropological research findings in clear writing and presentations.
  5. Connect Archaeology to Today’s World – Demonstrate how studying past human cultures and artifacts can help us understand and address modern issues like inequality, climate change, cultural heritage preservation, and human-environment interactions, and how these skills are applicable to future careers.

Effective Fall 2026

Freshman
AUCCCredits
ANTH 100Introductory Cultural Anthropology (GT-SS3)3C3
ANTH 101Practicing Anthropology 1
ANTH 120Human Origins and Variation (GT-SC2)3A3
ANTH 121Human Origins and Variation Laboratory (GT-SC1)3A1
ANTH 140Introduction to Archaeology (GT-HI1)3D3
CO 150College Composition (GT-CO2)1A3
1B1B3
Electives 13
 Total Credits 30
Sophomore
 
Select one course from following: 3
Quantifying Anthropology  
Working With Data  
The Power of Numbers--Statistics in Sociology  
Applications of Quantitative Research  
Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods  
Introduction to Biostatistics  
1C1C3
Arts and Humanities3B6
Biological and Physical Sciences13A3
Electives 15
 Total Credits 30
Junior
 
ANTH 400/GR 400History of Theory-Anthropology and Geography4B3
Select a minimum of three credits from the following Archaeological Concepts and Practice courses not taken in another category: 3
Archaeology of Rock Art  
Impacts on Ancient Environments4A 
Anthropological Perspectives on Food  
Archaeology and the Public4A 
Field Class in Archaeology  
Anthropological Report Preparation4A 
Engendering Archaeology4A 
Archaeology of Death - Mourning and Memory  
Archaeology of the Ancient Near East4A 
The Archaeology of Time  
Heritage Resource Management  
Select a minimum of three credits from the following Archaeological Methods courses not taken in another category: 3
Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies  
Geoarchaeology  
Archaeological Investigation  
Human Osteology  
Digital Digging--Geophysics in Archaeology  
Lithic Technology  
Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management  
Anthropology Curation and Exhibition Methods  
Zooarchaeology  
Biological Anthropology Course (minimum of 3 credits; see list below) 3
Cultural Anthropology Course (minimum of 3 credits; see list below) 3
Advanced Writing23
Electives 12
 Total Credits 30
Senior
 
Students must take ANTH 493 concurrently with one of the courses listed in the selection below it:  
ANTH 4932Capstone Seminar4C1
Select one of the following AUCC 4 courses not taken in another category:2 3
Andean Archaeology and Ethnohistory4A 
Archaeology of Mesoamerica4A 
Impacts on Ancient Environments4A 
Great Plains Archaeology4A 
Archaeology and the Public4A 
Gods, Heroes, Stones--Greek Archaeology4A 
Anthropological Report Preparation4A 
Engendering Archaeology4A 
Archaeology of the Ancient Near East4A 
Internship4A 
Select one of the following Place and Space in Archaeology courses not taken in another category: 3
Ancient Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll3D 
Study Abroad--England: Hadrian's Wall  
Race/Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean  
Archaeology of the Ancient Nile  
Archaeology of Ancient Roman Food  
Study Abroad--Pompeii in Italy: Life and Death of a Roman City  
Archaeologies of Graffiti  
Colorado Prehistory  
The Archaeology of Ancient Cities  
Andean Archaeology and Ethnohistory4A 
Archaeology of Mesoamerica4A 
Great Plains Archaeology4A 
Gods, Heroes, Stones--Greek Archaeology4A 
Archaeology of the Ancient Near East4A 
Seminar: Archaeology  
Electives3 23
 Total Credits 30
 Program Total Credits: 120

Biological Anthropology

Code Title AUCC Credits
Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following not taken in another category:
ANTH 273 Humans and Extinctions 3A 3
ANTH 274 Human Diversity 3A 3
ANTH 275/SOC 275 Introduction to Forensic Anthropology 3
ANTH 330/CLMT 330 Human Ecology 3
ANTH 365 Quantifying Anthropology 3
ANTH 370 Primates 3
ANTH 371 Growing Up Primate 3
ANTH 372 Human Osteology 3
ANTH 373 Human Evolution 3
ANTH 374 Human Biological Variation 3
ANTH 375 Evolution of Primate Behavior 3
ANTH 376 Evolution of Human Adaptation 3
ANTH 377 Anthropology Perspectives-Evolution, Society 3
ANTH 379 Evolutionary Medicine and Human Health 3
ANTH 465 Zooarchaeology 3
ANTH 470 Paleontology Field School 4
ANTH 472 Human Biology 3
ANTH 473 The Neandertals 3
ANTH 474 Human Skeleton Analysis 3
ANTH 475 Methods of Analysis in Paleoanthropology 3
ANTH 492B Seminar: Biological Anthropology 3

Cultural Anthropology 

Code Title AUCC Credits
Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following not taken in another category:
ANTH 225 Anthropology of the Arts 3
ANTH 232/MU 232 Soundscapes-Music as Human Practice 3C 3
ANTH 313 Modernization and Development 3
ANTH 314 Southeast Asian Cultures and Societies 3
ANTH 315 Global Mobilities–The African Diaspora 3
ANTH 317 Anthropology of Human Rights 3
ANTH 321 Beer, Brewing, and Culture 4A 3
ANTH 322 The Anthropology of Religion 3
ANTH 323 Artificial Intelligence and Anthropology 3
ANTH 330/CLMT 330 Human Ecology 3
ANTH 333 Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction 3
ANTH 334 Narrative Traditions and Social Experience 4
ANTH 335 Language and Culture 3
ANTH 338 Gender and Anthropology 3
ANTH 340 Medical Anthropology 3
ANTH 343 Applied Medical Anthropology 3
ANTH 401 Psychological Anthropology Laboratory 1
ANTH 405 Public Anthropology and Global Challenges 3
ANTH 414/ETST 414 Development in Indian Country 3
ANTH 415 Indigenous Ecologies and the Modern World 3
ANTH 416 Gender, Culture, and Health 3
ANTH 423 Cultural Psychiatry 3
ANTH 440 Theory in Cultural Anthropology 3
ANTH 441 Method in Cultural Anthropology 3
ANTH 442 Ethnographic Field School 3-8
ANTH 443 Ethnographic Field Methods 3
ANTH 444 Cultures of Virtual Worlds–Research Methods 3
ANTH 445 Psychological Anthropology 3
ANTH 479/IE 479 International Development Theory and Practice 3
1

ANTH 273 and ANTH 274 fulfill AUCC 3A.

2

ANTH 493 must be taken concurrently with one of the AUCC category 4 courses listed with ANTH 493 in the senior year. Courses approved for AUCC category 4 taken in the sophomore, junior, or senior year and not concurrently with ANTH 493 and not included in the approved list in the program will not count toward completion of the category 4 requirement for this major. Students taking Senior Honors Thesis (HONR 499) also are required to register for ANTH 493.

3

Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300 to 400-level).

Freshman
Semester 1CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
ANTH 100Introductory Cultural Anthropology (GT-SS3)X 3C3
ANTH 101Practicing AnthropologyX  1
CO 150College Composition (GT-CO2)X 1A3
1BX 1B3
Elective X 5
 Total Credits   15
Semester 2CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
ANTH 120Human Origins and Variation (GT-SC2)X 3A3
ANTH 121Human Origins and Variation Laboratory (GT-SC1)X 3A1
ANTH 140Introduction to Archaeology (GT-HI1)X 3D3
Electives X 8
AUCC 1B and CO 150 must be completed by the end of Semester 2.X   
 Total Credits   15
Sophomore
Semester 3CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Arts and Humanities X3B3
Biological and Physical Sciences X3A3
Electives X 9
 Total Credits   15
Semester 4CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Select one course from the following:X  3
Quantifying Anthropology    
Working With Data    
The Power of Numbers--Statistics in Sociology    
Applications of Quantitative Research    
Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods    
Introduction to Biostatistics    
1CX 1C3
Arts and Humanities X3B3
Electives X 6
 Total Credits   15
Junior
Semester 5CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Select a minimum of three credits from the Archaeological Concepts and Practice courses (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab)X  3
Select a minimum of three credits from the Archaeological Methods courses not taken in another category (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab)X  3
Electives X 9
 Total Credits   15
Semester 6CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
ANTH 400/GR 400History of Theory-Anthropology and GeographyX 4B3
Select one Biological Anthropology course not taken in another category (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab)X  3
Select one Cultural Anthropology course not taken in another category (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab)X  3
Advanced Writing X23
Elective X 3
 Total Credits   15
Senior
Semester 7CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Electives X 15
 Total Credits   15
Semester 8CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
ANTH 493Capstone SeminarX 4C1
AUCC 4: Select one course not taken elsewhere from the AUCC 4 List on the Concentration Requirements TabX 4A3
Select one Place and Space in Archaeology courses not taken in another category (See List on Concentration Requirements Tab)X  3
ElectivesX  8
The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study.X   
 Total Credits   15
 Program Total Credits:   120