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What is the main goal of the Forensic Anthropologist?

If I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist, what degree would I need?

  • I have been thinking about being a forensic anthropologist and I was wondering that if I did, what degree would I need and how long would it take?

  • Answer:

    The thing with forensic anthropology is that it is just the use of anthropology in forensic investigations. There really aren't many schools for people to specially study forensic anthropology. Most of the forensic anthropologists that I know just studied anthropology (usually physical anthropology or archaeology) and do work for various organizations and law enforcement agencies. If you are interested in forensic anthropology, I would just recommend studying one of those two fields. The whole process should take about 4 years for your undergraduate, then between 5-7 years on top of that for you Ph.D., which you will absolutely need. It is almost impossible for an anthropologist to get a job without a Ph.D. P.S. I have been told by forensic anthropologists that it is extremely difficult to find a job in the field. There are a lot of people trained in the field, yet there is a only a very small demand for forensic anthropologists. Law enforcement agencies also tend to use a professor of anthropology at a local university rather than hire a forensic anthropologist full time for any cases that they need help with. I can only think of a handful of forensic anthropologists who work full-time in the field, and they typically go work in places that most people don't want to go to (Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Croatia, etc). A similar field with better employment opportunities that you might be interested in is pathology, though you would have to go to medical school for that.

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Probably a degree in Anthropology, im guessing. and roughly 4 years if you went to a good college and took the classes you needed.

ejrtree15

You will want, at the very least, a bachelors in anthropology, specializing in Physical (may be called biological) Anthropology or maybe Archaeology. You will also almost definitely need a master's degree in the field (at which point you would want to bring your focus onto forensic anthropology as a specialty). If you got the inspiration to pursue this field from watching Bones, it is important to realize that very few forensic anthropologists work like that, essentially on a law enforcement retainer, most of the professionals in the field have other work that they do, mostly either teaching as university professors or working overseas in cases where genocide/war happened, or doing both. Because of this, if you ever intend to become a leader in the field, you will need a doctorate. In other words, if you want to make forensic anthropology a career, it will likely keep you in academia for some time, both as a student and a teacher.

holy_fruit_filling

Physical (biological) anthropology. Need at least a Masters to get a decent job. 5-6 years college. Some schools you can degree in forensic anthro itself.

AndyF

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