Anthropology is a broadly based discipline that explores human diversity through time and space. It is a holistic discipline that examines the entirety of the human condition – including biology, society, culture and language. Anthropology is both historical and comparative examining cross-cultural information from different populations and across time periods.

Anthropology's four traditional subfields are cultural, physical, archaeological and linguistics. Cultural anthropology examines human behavior and cultural diversity from the recent past through the present. Physical anthropology studies evolutionary trends through the fossil record, genetics, and comparative primate behavior. Archaeology reconstructs human behavior through the documentation of material and physical remains. Linguistic anthropology explores how communication and speech vary by social and cultural factors and through time.

Anthropology's contributions can be theoretical and applied. Applied anthropology uses traditional anthropological knowledge to address "real-world" problems and issues.

Anthropology at Baylor offers students a general introduction to the cultural, physical and archaeological subfields through classroom learning, seminars and hands-on field and laboratory research opportunities. Whether examining fossil casts or modern human bones, studying at the zoo or in villages in Third World villages, digging for artifacts in the field or just facts in the library, our students learn through an interactive engagement with anthropological projects. Our faculty pursues research in development anthropology, DNA analysis, ecological anthropology, forensic anthropology, fossil excavation, Latin American urban anthropology, modern Mayan cultures, and both historic and pre-historic archaeology. Research sites include Texas, Central and Latin America, and West and East Africa. All of these projects offer excellent opportunities for students to participate in primary research working alongside their professors.