The University of Montana’s Anthropology program again has received accolades, ranked the No. 24 best anthropology program in the country by gradreports.com.
UM shares this list with esteemed programs at the University of California-Davis, the University of Vermont, Arizona State and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
The rankings are based on annual tuition, median debt and median salary a year after graduation, as reported by the U.S. Department of Education. UM anthropology students pay around $25,000 annually and take on $26,750 in debt, but then make a median salary of $27,900 after they graduate.
The UM Anthropology Department defines anthropology as the study of people, both ancient and contemporary, in their biological, archaeological, cultural and linguistic context through integrating findings from the social sciences, natural sciences and the humanities. UM’s program offers seven undergraduate degrees, including archaeology, forensic anthropology, linguistics and more, as well as three minors and three undergraduate certificates. The program also boasts four master’s and two doctoral programs.
“The Anthropology Department at this University is unique because I absolutely adored my professors and was eager to come to class every day,” wrote a 2019 anthropology graduate on gradreports.com. “My adviser in the department was encouraging and went above and beyond in order to make sure my class schedule wasn’t overwhelming but challenging and made sure I had internship opportunities whenever they became available – even in her ancient DNA lab.”
Through their program, anthropology students receive a hands-on education.
Recently, students in Kelly Dixon’s archaeology class discovered artifacts in downtown Missoula that illuminated life more than a century ago.
Last year, an anthropology doctoral student received three prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Philanthropic Educational Organization Sisterhood Scholar Award, for her work connecting the goals of cultural collections with Indigenous communities.