Best Anthropology Programs in Kentucky for 2027

Anthropology Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Kentucky

6 schools in Kentucky awarded anthropology bachelor’s degrees in 2023–24, scored against 405 bachelor’s programs nationwide.

1. 1

   University of Louisville

   Anthropology (BA)

   Louisville · Public

   52.3 Comparison Score

   Breadth comes first in Louisville’s anthropology BA. You take 200-level and 300-level courses in archaeology, biological anthropology and cultural anthropology, then choose a methods course in one subdiscipline, such as ethnographic methods, methods in biological anthropology or archaeology as practice. Engaged Anthropology pushes the field into real-world settings, and History of Anthropology serves as the capstone. If a master’s is your goal, the accelerated BA/MA lets three graduate courses, 9 credit hours, count toward both degrees, and you apply in junior year.

   Methods Requirement

   One methods course in archaeology, biological anthropology or ethnography

   Capstone

   History of Anthropology

   Accelerated Option

   BA/MA with 9 graduate credit hours counted toward both degrees

   Program Sources: Anthropology (BA) | University of Louisville Academic CatalogsAnthropology (BA) | University of Louisville Academic Catalogs

   Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded

   17

   Anthropology, 2023–24

   School Six-Year Graduation Rate

   61%

   2,693 first-time, full-time students

   Median Graduate Earnings

   $43,564

   Anthropology bachelor’s graduates, College Scorecard

   In-State Tuition + Fees

   $13,136

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Out-of-State Tuition + Fees

   $29,482

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   University of Louisville: Anthropology (BA)
2. 2

   University of Kentucky

   Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology

   Lexington · Public

   51.8 Comparison Score

   Kentucky offers anthropology as either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. The four-year plan for the BA pairs Introduction to Archaeology and Introduction to Biological Anthropology with four semesters of a foreign language. Your junior year is where upper-level anthropology credits pile up, and a Senior Integrative Seminar in the spring of senior year closes out the major. The plan also asks for 300-level courses outside anthropology and suggests a natural science course for them. With 21 degrees awarded in 2023–24, this is one of the larger anthropology majors on its Kentucky page.

   Degree Options

   Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science

   Foundation Courses

   Introduction to Archaeology and Introduction to Biological Anthropology

   Senior Course

   Senior Integrative Seminar

   Program Sources: Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology | University of KentuckyBachelor's Degree in Anthropology | University of Kentucky

   Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded

   21

   Anthropology, 2023–24

   School Six-Year Graduation Rate

   71%

   4,941 first-time, full-time students

   Median Graduate Earnings

   $25,668

   Anthropology bachelor’s graduates, College Scorecard

   In-State Tuition + Fees

   $13,502

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Out-of-State Tuition + Fees

   $34,140

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   University of Kentucky: Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology
4. 3

   Western Kentucky University

   Anthropology, Bachelor of Arts (608)

   Bowling Green · Public

   50.7 Comparison Score

   Four concentrations organize the upper-level work in Western Kentucky’s anthropology BA: applied anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology and cultural anthropology. Each is a three-course, 9-hour set, and everyone first completes a six-course, 16-hour core that runs from the intro courses to ANTH 399 and ANTH 499. You need a C or better in every core course. There’s one requirement many majors don’t have: you also complete a second major, a minor or a certificate. The major comes to 31 semester hours. The 16 degrees conferred in 2023–24 came from a program with three full-time faculty.

   Concentrations

   Applied, archaeology, biological and cultural anthropology

   Core Curriculum

   Six courses, 16 hours, with a C or better required

   Companion Requirement

   A second major, a minor or a certificate

   Program Sources: Anthropology | Western Kentucky UniversityAnthropology | Western Kentucky University

   Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded

   16

   Anthropology, 2023–24

   School Six-Year Graduation Rate

   58%

   2,688 first-time, full-time students

   Median Graduate Earnings

   $40,415

   Anthropology bachelor’s graduates, College Scorecard

   In-State Tuition + Fees

   $11,652

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Out-of-State Tuition + Fees

   $27,000

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Western Kentucky University: Anthropology, Bachelor of Arts (608)
5. 4

   Eastern Kentucky University

   Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

   Richmond · Public

   50.2 Comparison Score

   Two field schools set Eastern Kentucky’s program apart. The archaeology field school investigates sites in the Daniel Boone National Forest through a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, and the primate field school observes primates at the Lemur Conservation Foundation in Florida. Around those, you get exposure to archaeology, biological, linguistic and cultural anthropology, plus service learning, faculty research and education abroad trips to places like Peru and Barcelona. Suggested minors include archaeology, sociology and Spanish, and the degree is 120 credit hours.

   Field Schools

   Archaeology in the Daniel Boone National Forest and primate observation in Florida

   Subfields

   Archaeology, biological, linguistic and cultural anthropology

   Suggested Minors

   Anthropology, archaeology, sociology and Spanish

   Program Sources: Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology - Eastern Kentucky UniversityBachelor of Arts in Anthropology - Eastern Kentucky University

   Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded

   14

   Anthropology, 2023–24

   School Six-Year Graduation Rate

   55%

   2,020 first-time, full-time students

   In-State Tuition + Fees

   $10,320

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Out-of-State Tuition + Fees

   $21,230

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Eastern Kentucky University: Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
6. 5

   Northern Kentucky University

   Anthropology, B.A.

   Highland Heights · Public

   47.4 Comparison Score

   NKU’s 42 to 43 credit major starts with an 18-credit core: cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, archaeological methods and theory, language and culture, a one-credit Careers in Anthropology course, anthropological theory and a one-credit capstone. Then you choose two methods courses from a list that includes Museum Methods, Cultural Resource Management, Archaeological Excavation Methods, Ethnographic Methods and Quantitative Methods in Anthropology, a Museum Internship among them. Six electives finish the plan, and at least one 300-level course has to come from each of archaeology, biological anthropology and cultural anthropology. NKU conferred 11 degrees in this field in 2023–24.

   Core Courses

   Seven courses totaling 18 credits, ending with a capstone

   Methods Choices

   Two of eleven, from Museum Methods to Quantitative Methods in Anthropology

   Subfield Rule

   One 300-level course each in archaeological, biological and cultural anthropology

   Program Sources: Program: Anthropology, B.A. - Northern Kentucky UniversityProgram: Anthropology, B.A. - Northern Kentucky University

   Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded

   11

   Anthropology, 2023–24

   School Six-Year Graduation Rate

   54%

   1,818 first-time, full-time students

   In-State Tuition + Fees

   $11,088

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Out-of-State Tuition + Fees

   $21,912

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Northern Kentucky University: Anthropology, B.A.
7. 6

   Transylvania University

   Anthropology

   Lexington · Private nonprofit

   28.4 Comparison Score

   Transylvania leans toward cultural anthropology and archaeology rather than spreading evenly across all four subfields. Course topics range from human origins and evolution to religion, gender, underwater archaeology and Latin American prehistory, with special-interest offerings like Maritime Archaeology, Appalachia and the Environment, Corporate Anthropology and a service-learning course on the refugee experience in Lexington. Faculty take students on research trips to places such as Honduras, Suriname, Peru, Iceland and Albania, and closer to home you can join archaeological digs in Kentucky. Two anthropology degrees were conferred in 2023–24.

   Emphasis

   Cultural anthropology and archaeology

   Research Travel

   Faculty-led research in Honduras, Suriname, Guyana, Peru, Iceland, Spain and Albania

   Local Fieldwork

   Archaeological digs in Kentucky and service learning in Lexington

   Program Sources: Anthropology | Transylvania UniversityAnthropology | Transylvania University

   Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded

   2

   Anthropology, 2023–24

   School Six-Year Graduation Rate

   71%

   298 first-time, full-time students

   In-State Tuition + Fees

   $46,870

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Out-of-State Tuition + Fees

   $46,870

   Undergraduate, schoolwide, 2024–25

   Transylvania University: Anthropology