Certificate in Applied Anthropology
Certificate in Applied Anthropology
Anthropology’s Certificate in Applied Anthropology (CAA) is designed to help students in all majors learn practical skills and concepts that will be useful for careers in government, business, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc., as well as in graduate school. The CAA requires students to take upper-division courses in Ethnographic Methods (ANT 400) and Applied Anthropology (ANT 420), but the rest of the Certificate requirements are based on individual student interest, involving one elective (from a choice of more than 30 options in 13 different disciplines) and an intensive 6-credit summer internship in a location arranged by the student and his or her mentor. ANT 400 and 420 give students the skills they need to conduct qualitative research for in-depth knowledge of a situation, and to apply that knowledge for problem-solving in a number of areas. The internship and elective allow students to specialize in particular career areas of their choosing.
Personalized Requirements
To provide just three possibilities of fulfilling the requirements
for the Certificate in Applied Anthropology:
A CAA participant hoping to work in the medical field, for
example, will choose a mentor from among the Anthropology faculty, and
fill out an application for the Certificate. If accepted, they would
take ANT 400 (Ethnographic Methods), an elective like PSY 367 (Health
Psychology) or AHS 330 (Health Care: A Global Perspective), spend the
summer doing a 6-credit internship at a West Michigan health clinic,
then finish the CAA by taking ANT 420 (Applied Anthropology) the
following fall.
A CAA participant hoping to work in refugee resettlement, for
instance, will choose a mentor from among the Anthropology faculty,
and fill out an application for the Certificate. If accepted, they
would take ANT 400 (Ethnographic Methods), an elective like PLS 316
(Human Rights in International Politics) or PA 360 (Volunteerism and
the Nonprofit Sector), spend the summer doing a 6-credit internship at
a local refugee resettlement agency (like Bethany or Samaritas), then
finish the CAA by taking ANT 420 (Applied Anthropology) the following fall.
To provide one more illustration, a CAA participant hoping to
work in cultural resource management will choose a mentor from among
the Anthropology faculty, and fill out an application for the
Certificate. If accepted, they would take ANT 400 (Ethnographic
Methods), an elective like ECO 345 (Environmental and Resource
Economics) or GPY 335 (Globalization and Development), spend the
summer doing a 6-credit internship at a CRM consulting firm, then
finish the CAA by taking ANT 420 (Applied Anthropology) the following fall.
Program requirements
Those interested in the Certificate in Applied Anthropology (C.A.A.) must:
- Enrolled in a degree-seeking program at GVSU
- Have at least a 3.0 GPA overall
- Find an Anthropology faculty member to serve as an advisor
- Submit a written application to the department by October 15 (fall) / March 15 (winter).
Learn more about Student Learning Outcomes
Once admitted, a student must take:
- ANT 400 - Ethnographic Methods (3 cr)
- ANT 490 - Practicum: Career Service (6 cr)
- ANT 420 - Applied Anthropology (3 cr)
- One elective in an area of specialty
Students must be degree seeking students to receive the certificate. The certificate will be awarded at the same time as the degree is awarded. All undergraduate certificates have received Higher Learning Commission approval, and students are eligible for financial aid because they are seeking a degree.
We welcome applications! Please contact Kristin Hedges at [email protected] with any questions you may have.