Discover what it means to be human
200,000 years ago, human beings emerged from the dry savannahs of East Africa. 12,000 years ago, we learned to domesticate the natural world around us. 7,000 years ago we started to trade with each other, build kingdoms and record our histories.
By 2,500 years ago, people had begun to dig a little deeper — asking big questions that gave rise to civilization, art and philosophy. What does it mean to be human? Why do we behave the way we do? What is our purpose? Anthropologists have been trying to answer those questions ever since.
As an anthropologist, you will spend your days studying the people of the past in order to better understand the present. Whether by capturing oral histories, fundraising for a nonprofit or researching the dynamic way cultural ideas shift over time, you’ll use the knowledge you gain at Oregon State to make the world a kinder, more imaginative place.
Join in the greatest story ever told. Become an anthropologist.