The published course and module descriptions were accurate when first published and remain the basis of the course, but the University has had to modify some course and module content in response to government restrictions and social distancing requirements. In the event of changes made to the government advice and social distancing rules by national or local government, the University may need to make further alterations to the published course content. Detailed information on the changes will be sent to every student on confirmation in August to ensure you have all the information before you come to Oxford Brookes.
Biological Anthropology
BSc (Hons)
Key facts
UCAS code
LL60
Start dates
September 2022
Location
Course length
Full time: 3 years
Part time: up to 6 years
Department
UCAS Tariff Points
104
Overview
Do you want to become an expert on the most pressing issues of human origins? When you choose Biological Anthropology at Oxford Brookes, you’re choosing to explore everything from the fossil and skeletal remains of our ancestors, to the importance of our relationship with other primates and with our environment.
You’ll be taught by our team of expert researchers, active all over the world. You’ll join a close-knit and supportive department, internationally acclaimed for its research. We’re one of the few courses in the UK to offer a blend of three key themes:
- Human Origins and Archaeology
- Primate Behaviour and Conservation
- Human-Environment Interactions.
You’ll enjoy lab-based learning and field trips, from studying the primates at Apenheul Primate Sanctuary, to gaining research insights with the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, the Nocturnal Primate Research Group and the Human Origins and Palæo Environments Research Group. And you’ll gain the skills for a groundbreaking career in our Anthropology in Action module.

How to apply
Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.
For more information about how we are supporting applicants impacted by Covid-19, please see our information for applicants page.
Standard offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 104
A Level: BCC
IB Points: 29
BTEC: DMM
Contextual offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 88
A Level: CCD
IB Points: 27
BTEC: MMM
Further offer details
Applications are also welcomed for consideration from applicants with European qualifications, international qualifications or recognised foundation courses. For advice on eligibility please contact Admissions: admissions@brookes.ac.uk
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
If you do not meet the entry requirements for this degree, or if you would like more preparation before you start, you can take an international foundation course. Once you enrol, you will have a guaranteed pathway to this degree if you pass your foundation course with the required grades.
If you only need to meet the language requirements, you can take our pre-sessional English course. You will develop key language and study skills for academic success and you will not need to take an external language test to progress to your degree.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Many of our courses consider applications for entry with credit for prior learning. Each application is individually assessed by our credit entry tutors.
If you would like more information about whether or not you may be eligible for the award of credit, for example from an HND, partly-completed degree or foundation degree, please contact our Admissions team.
We operate the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All undergraduate single modules are equivalent to 7.5 ECTS credits and double modules to 15 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Application process
Full time Home / EU applicants
Apply through UCASPart time Home / EU applicants
Apply direct to the UniversityInternational applicants
Apply direct to the UniversityFull time applicants can also apply through UCAS
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Please note tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
Financial support and scholarships
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course, if any, are detailed below.
We do not expect students to purchase any compulsory course books, as they are all available in the library. If students wish to purchase additional books to supplement their reading, this is at their own discretion.There is an optional visit of the Apenheul Primate Sanctuary in Apendhorn, Holland. This trip is optional and therefore not included within the course fees.
Studying abroad
Tuition fees are paid as they would be if you remained in the UK, either to Oxford Brookes via your Student Loan or directly to Oxford Brookes according to your preference. You will be responsible for all other costs such as accommodation, purchasing your airfares, travel and health insurance and visas. Funding is available through the Erasmus scheme, and also via some international programmes such as the Santander Student Awards.
Learning and assessment
Your learning will be shaped by the latest research, unlocking your potential for excellence.
In Year 1, you’ll get to grips with the key ideas of both Biological and Social Anthropology. You’ll gain the core skills you need for your degree, through six introductory modules.
In Year 2, you’ll take:
- Human Evolutionary Biology
- Methods and Analysis in Biological Anthropology
- Primate Adaptation and Evolution, and
- Human Ecology.
You’ll also further enrich your studies by choosing from a range of modules from other subjects, such as
- Animal Behaviour (Animal Biology and Conservation)
- Cross-cultural Perspectives in Psychology (Psychology).
In Year 3, you’ll do research on a topic that interests you. So, whether you’re researching how social media affects zoo animals, how to conserve primate habitats, how to compare the frequency of a disease between human populations or the implications of the world’s first jewellery for our understanding of human cognition, you’ll have the support of expert tutors.

Learning and teaching
Our teaching staff are award-winning experts in their fields, and actively involved in research. You’ll have access to the latest thinking, and your learning will be shaped around the current research of staff. This includes:
- The earliest human settlements in the Middle East
- Human-Wildlife conflicts
- Primate behaviour and conservation, including great apes and lemurs, in the wild and in captivity
- Co-evolution of humans and disease
- Molecular anthropology
You’ll enjoy our active, student-led Anthropology Society. You’ll also have the option to attend a range of seminars featuring invited guest speakers. These include:
- Anthropology departmental seminar series
- Primatology and Conservation seminar series.
Field trips
You’ll go on exciting field-trips, where you’ll put your research skills into practice. We offer a visit to the Apenheul Primate Sanctuary in the Netherlands, where you can study the development of free-roaming primates. This is an optional trip for students on the Primate Adaptation and Evolution and Primate Societies modules. You’ll also go on visits to the Oxford Natural History Museum and the Pitt Rivers Anthropological Museum in your first year.
Study Abroad
You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Brookes. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.
After you graduate
Career prospects
Biological Anthropology, with its comparative perspective as well as its emphasis on research and human interactions with the environment, gives students flexibility and a wider view of the world which often proves attractive to employers. Our graduates have made successful careers in a wide variety of professions, including research at universities and colleges, contract archaeologists, international development, non-governmental organisations, charity organisations, environment and conservation organisations, zoo keepers or officers, teaching, film and journalism, museum and heritage management, and forensic (medical/legal) consultation (skeletal identification or DNA fingerprinting) for law enforcement agencies. Students also often go on to postgraduate study.
Visiting speakers from various employment sectors including government, international development, non-governmental organisations and charities, and environmental conservation, are invited to deliver lectures and seminars. Researchers from national and international institutions are invited to weekly seminar series hosted by our Faculty Research Centres which include The Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, The Europe Japan Research Centre, The Centre for Global Politics, Economy and Society, and the seminar series hosted by the Primate Conservation MSc course. Students also have access to the events hosted by the University Careers and Employment Centre.
Further study
Many of our graduates are currently engaged in further study in Anthropology and also in a range of other subjects, such as Environmental Studies, Archaeology, Geography, Animal Biology, Conservation Ecology, and Primate Conservation, with many choosing to continue these studies at Oxford Brookes.
Student profiles
Our Staff
Professor Anna Nekaris
Professor Anna Nekaris is a Professor in Anthropology and Primate Conservation studying the unique group of evolutionary distinct primates known as the Asian lorises. Her studies cover all eleven species, including six she named or elevated from subspecies. Anna is the Course Tutor for the highly acclaimed MSc Primate Conservation, Director of the Little Fireface Project and Convenor of the Nocturnal Primate Research Group.
Read more about AnnaDr Giuseppe Donati
Over the last twenty years Giuseppe has conducted research on behaviour, ecology, and conservation of lemurs and New World monkeys, and produced numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals or books.
Read more about GiuseppeFree language courses
Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Information from Discover Uni
Full-time study
Part-time study
Programme Changes: On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website.
For more information, please visit our Changes to programmes page.