by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 26 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Anthropology Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,001 master's degrees in anthropology during the 2021-2022 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The anthropology master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality anthropology program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for anthropology students working on their master's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Anthropology Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in anthropology.
Harvard University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in anthropology. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in anthropology from Harvard University
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in anthropology. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in anthropology from Columbia University in the City of New York
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in anthropology. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in anthropology from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
George Washington University is a great decision for students pursuing a master's degree in anthropology. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in anthropology from George Washington University
Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in anthropology from Boston University
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in anthropology from New York University
Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in anthropology from American University
UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Knoxville.More information about a master’s in anthropology from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in anthropology from University of Maryland - College Park
Binghamton University is a large public university located in the midsize suburb of Vestal.
Soon after graduating, anthropology master's recipients typically earn around $31,996 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in anthropology from Binghamton UniversityView the Best Anthropology Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Anthropology is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Anthropology | 915 |
| Other Anthropology | 44 |
| Physical & Biological Anthropology | 28 |
| Cultural Anthropology | 8 |
| Forensic Anthropology | 6 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 4,686 |
| International Relations & National Security | 4,650 |
| Political Science & Government | 1,889 |
| Sociology | 1,428 |
| Geography & Cartography | 1,248 |
| General Social Sciences | 854 |
| Urban Studies | 382 |
| Other Social Sciences | 351 |
| Archeology | 60 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 37 |
