Bachelor in Anthropologie

Why pursue an anthropology degree at North Central College?

You won’t simply explore the diversity of world culture in the classroom—you’ll witness it firsthand. You’ll travel almost anywhere in the world through our robust study abroad program. And closer to home, you can research or intern at The Field Museum in Chicago, which is just a short train ride from campus. No matter how you build your anthropological expertise, you’ll do it with the personal attention and close collaboration of our outstanding faculty.

You can also:

• Apply for a Richter Grant to fund your research anywhere in the world.
• Travel to Guatemala during the College's May Term with Enactus to study highland Maya culture while working with indigenous artists and farmers.
• Apply for the Mironda K. Heston Scholarship for Public Service, which funds international human service projects.
• Intern at The Field Museum in Chicago.
• Gain the cultural competence necessary to thrive in increasingly globalized workplaces.
• Acquire a wide range of ethnographic and archaeological fieldwork methods in our new, fieldwork-intensive curriculum, which develops skills sought by employers in profit and non-profit enterprises.

Since 1861, North Central has been a place where new ideas lead to unlimited possibilities. We’re an independent college dedicated to the power of the liberal arts and sciences to transform students into leaders both in their careers and communities. Our nearly 3,000 students study across more than 65 undergraduate and graduate programs, with their education, made richer by supportive faculty and staff, world-class facilities, and countless opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

A College on the move

Building on the foundation of more than 150 years of excellence, North Central continues to grow with numerous new facilities, programs, and initiatives in the works.

The College opened with 40 students in a single two-story building in Plainfield, Illinois. Since then we’ve changed names twice (to North-Western, then North Central), moved once (from Plainfield to Naperville), and grown steadily (to about 3,000 students).

Over the years, thousands of dedicated students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends have helped us thrive through the toughest challenges – wars, economic crises, social upheavals, and more – and build a future brilliant with hope and promise.

We’ve met the changing needs of students from Civil War veterans to millennial entrepreneurs. And we’ve always stayed true to our heritage of moral courage and forward-thinking.

Today we’re a top-ranked private comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences. U.S. News & World Report counts us among “America’s Best Colleges,” one of the top six schools in the Midwest for a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Students choose from more than 55 undergraduate majors and five graduate program areas.

Although the College originally discouraged organized athletics as a distraction from weightier matters, our 26 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III make our athletic department the largest in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW). North Central is proud of its 32 team national championships and 123 individual national champions.

Though affiliated with the United Methodist Church, we welcome and encourage students and staff of all faiths. We are thoughtfully expanding our academic programs to respond to the needs of our ever-changing world, recently adding Middle Eastern and North African Studies, along with Arabic. And we’re transforming our facilities – most dramatically with a new interdisciplinary Science Center located at the corner of Brainard Street and Van Buren Avenue.

It’s been an amazing 150+ years. But it’s clear that the best is yet to come!