 Eggan earned his master's degree in psychology with a minor in anthropology from the University of Chicago in the early 20th century.He received his PhD in anthropology from the same university several years later with a doctoral thesis entitled “Social Organization of the Western Pueblos” analyzing the social organization of Pueblo Indians in the Southwest.Fred was an active member in the discipline of anthropology at a critical time when new technologies and methods were being invented for archeological purposes.