Join us at Laurier

Becoming a Golden Hawk means more than just cheering on our (really good) varsity teams – it means being a student who cares about your community, who works hard in the classroom, and who takes advantage of all the learning opportunities that can happen outside the classroom, too.

Steps to Apply

Undergraduate Admissions Graduate Admissions

Steps to Apply

Undergraduate AdmissionsGraduate Admissions

Anthropology (BA in Combination)

waterloo

Open your mind to the multiple meanings of being human by studying how people relate to each other and the world around them. Explore how people in different places and times have fun, conduct business, build cities and go about their lives. Through research and coursework, learn to make sense of the past and plan for the future.

This program requires you to double major in another Bachelor of Arts program and offers an Intercultural Understanding Option.

Apply Your Learning

Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you. Volunteer work, campus clubs, leadership programs, studying abroad, work experience – there are so many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world.

Here are just a few examples of the experiences you can add to your Anthropology program:

  • Learn by doing: you’ll practise ethnography, a unique anthropological research method that immerses you in a different culture.
  • Conduct your own original research and write up reports as part of your capstone course in fourth year.
  • Study abroad for an academic term.
  • If you choose to combine your Anthropology program with a program that offers co-op, you can apply for a co-op at the end of your first year.

Check out the Anthropology Experience Guide.

 

2020 graduates who secured employment or went on to postgraduate studies

 

Laurier ranks in the top 6 percent of universities worldwide*

 

students who gained hands-on learning experiences at Laurier in 2019/20

*Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)

Admissions

Format: full time or part time      Duration: four years     Start: September (fall term)     OUAC code: UH
Ontario High School Admission Requirements
  • Minimum admission range: low 70s
  • Competitive admission range based on last year’s admitted students: low 80s
  • English at 60%
Canadian Admission Requirements (Outside of Ontario)

Students applying to this program from a Canadian province outside of Ontario are encouraged to review our course equivalents by province chart. This chart will show you what courses from your province are equivalent to the admission requirements listed under Ontario High School Admission Requirements.
International Admission Requirements

Students applying to this program from an international curriculum are encouraged to review our curriculum-specific requirements; you must also meet all program-specific requirements listed under the Ontario High School Admission Requirements section.

English-Proficiency Requirement

Laurier's language of instruction is English, and so we may require you to provide evidence of your English proficiency to help make sure you experience success in your academic courses.

Your three most recent years of full-time education must be in English without taking any ESL (English as a Second Language) courses. If you do not meet this requirement, you must provide evidence of your English proficiency.

We reserve the right to request an English-language test from any applicant.

If you do not meet Laurier's English proficiency requirement but are academically qualified for your program, you may be eligible for a conditional offer of admission.

Laurier English and Academic Foundation (LEAF) Program

The Laurier English and Academic Foundation (LEAF) program is an academic English program for Laurier applicants who have to prove English proficiency. If you have received an offer to Laurier with a condition to meet our English- proficiency requirement, you can meet that condition by successfully completing the LEAF program.
College Pathways

Graduates from a two-year general Arts and Science diploma program can apply to Anthropology (in combination with another major) within the Faculty of Arts on Laurier’s Waterloo campus. To be considered for admission to the Faculty of Arts, graduates must have an overall average of 75% in their program and achieve a minimum of 60% in a 4U English course or equivalent.

Learn more about our college transfer agreement.

Other Admission Requirements

Visit our admission requirements section to find specific requirements for university students, indigenous applicants, mature learners, homeschooled applicants, senior citizens, refugees, and more. 

Your Next Steps

Apply Now Strengthen Your Application Important Dates

Program Options and Courses

Design Your Degree

This program must be completed in combination with another Bachelor of Arts program. You can easily pair your studies with Communication Studies, English, Film Studies, Global Studies or Women and Gender Studies, among others.

In addition, you can add an option or minor that will allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge. A few examples of popular options and minors include:

  • Applied Social Research Option
  • Education Minor
  • Human Relationships Minor
  • Intercultural Understanding Option
  • Management Option
  • Public Policy Minor

Check out other options to enhance your degree.

First-Year Courses

You'll have the option to select two of the following courses:

  • Cultures Today
  • The Greatest Party in the World: Cultures and Celebration
  • Money Makes the World Go Around: Cultures of Consumption

And one of the following courses:

  • Culture Today
  • Introduction to Global Studies
  • Introduction to Sociology I: Critical Foundations
  • Introduction to Women and Gender Studies
  • Invitation to Archaeology
  • Media History
  • Money Makes the World Go Around
  • Religions of the Americas: Indigenous, African and European
  • Studying Popular Culture

In addition, you'll choose 4.0 elective credits in courses that interest you.

Sample Upper-Year Courses

  • Religion, Ritual and Magic
  • Life After Socialism
  • Nature, Culture, Environment

Similar Programs

Community Service-Learning

csl-banner.jpg

Community Service-Learning (CSL) courses at Laurier integrate service in the community with what you are learning in your classes. Placements are approximately 10 weeks and take place on a weekly basis from the second week of classes to the final week, typically for two hours per week.

CSL placements consist of volunteering at a local community service, such as a soup kitchen or a children's treatment centre. It’s a great way to apply classroom knowledge and gain practical experience in your field of study. Build your resume, develop your network, and graduate with experience.

Interested? Learn more about Community Service-Learning.

Tuition and Scholarships

Getting a university education is an investment in your future.

At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

student-business-lecture-banner.jpg

"It was the concepts of structure and agency from my course on space and place that led me to consider urban planning as a career. [...] Anthropology at Laurier taught me to keep my eyes open and notice the subtleties of the human condition as it relates to people and their environment."

Jacob Bolduc, Anthropology graduate, planner with Fotenn Planning and Urban Design

"I use what I learned in Laurier’s Anthropology program in community lawyering all the time. Many of my clients are immigrants, refugees, and racialized people. Anthropology has helped me translate Canada’s arcane legal system to them, and their experiences to the court in a way to get judges to help them."

Raymond Seelen, Anthropology graduate, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University and Legal Aid Ontario

Your Career Awaits

It’s not only about the journey; it’s about the destination. Let us help you get to where you’re going.

Here are just some examples of our graduates' destinations. What’s yours?

Sample Career Options

Note: Additional training and education may be required.

  • archaeologist
  • archivist
  • cultural interpreter/consultant
  • ethnographer
  • genealogical researcher
  • human resources professional
  • immigration officer
  • journalist/reporter/critic
  • lawyer/paralegal
  • public administration/policy analyst

Explore more careers.

Support After Graduation

Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.

Waterloo Campus

The Waterloo campus is tucked into about one city block, so you’re steps away from your classes, food and your new favourite study spot.

There are many ways to tour our Waterloo campus, whether that's on a guided tour with one of our Laurier student ambassadors, on your own using virtual reality, or even on-demand through one of our pre-recorded tours. See our campus spaces and start to picture yourself at Laurier.

"In my Anthropology courses, I often found the opportunity to challenge Western notions of charity and social justice, and explore the many ways of seeking justice across a wide range of cultures."

Kendra Foord, Anthropology graduate

Interested in More Info?

Email chooselaurier@wlu.ca, call 519.884.0710 x3385 or see all contact information.

Download a Viewbook Subscribe Connect One-on-One