Careers in Forensic Anthropology

Without setting foot in a laboratory, people can preview forensic anthropology careers by watching television crime dramas. For example, the television show Bones features forensic anthropologist Dr. Brennan whose job duties are exemplified through storylines. While it’s true that the real world can be different from Hollywood, becoming a forensic anthropologist can be a rewarding and intellectually stimulating career.

The duties of a forensic anthropologist overlap with other disciplines, such as disaster recovery, forensic science, and criminal justice. For example, forensic anthropologists typically work closely with law enforcement to identify human remains in the aftermath of a catastrophic weather event such as a hurricane or tornado. This work is essential after natural disasters when the number of human casualties is high, and the need for proper and fast identification is paramount. At other times, a forensic anthropologist can help collect evidence at crime scenes, identify victims, and help determine the cause of death in criminal cases where skeletal remains are present.

Forensic anthropologists can help piece together whether someone died at the hands of homicide or suicide or perished due to accidental death or natural causes in cases where extensive time has elapsed between the time of death and the discovery of remains. Forensic anthropology work can bring closure to grieving families and protect the public by prosecuting criminals.

Forensic anthropologists can determine details about a deceased person by examining bones and teeth, such as their sex, height, age, and ancestry or population affinity. While many choose to work in public or private sector positions, some forensic anthropologists decide to work in academia. An example is the “body farm” at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where scholars study the decomposition of human remains to accurately identify victims and the cause and time of their deaths.

If solving crimes and mysteries with science sounds like an ideal career, read on for a step-by-step guide to becoming a forensic anthropologist, including career outlook, salary, and certification requirements.

Meet the Expert: Alexandra Klales, PhD

Dr. Alexandra Klales is a professor of forensic anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. In addition to her teaching and research roles at the university, she is the founder and director of the Washburn University Forensic Anthropology Recovery Unit which is based at the school. She has worked extensively on mass casualty events alongside various state agencies, such as the Kansas City Regional Mortuary Operational Response Group, the Missouri Disaster Response System, and the Shawnee County Medical Examiner’s Office in Topeka, Kansas. In addition to her duties at the university, she has been an active diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology since 2019.

ForensicsColleges.com: Forensics is a wide field that seems to have a lot of misconceptions attached to it. Can you talk a bit about your work in forensic anthropology, and what makes this particular area of study fascinating to you?

Dr. Klales: There are a lot of misconceptions about forensic anthropology and the role we play in medico-legal death investigations. Unlike a lot of other forensic specialties, forensic anthropology includes a field component, with the recovery of remains from outdoor contexts, and a laboratory component, with identification efforts and skeletal trauma analysis.

One of the things that drew me to the field was the variety of contexts forensic anthropologists work within and the variation in the types of cases we complete. Every case is unique, which requires you to adapt to the challenge at hand. I also get a lot of personal gratification from helping give a name back to the deceased and providing families with closures.

ForensicsColleges.com: In addition to your work as instructor and researcher, you also lead the Washburn University Forensic Anthropology Recovery Unit (WU-FARU). How would you describe this project to an outsider?

Dr. Klales: The Washburn University Forensic Anthropology Recovery Unit’s (WU-FARU) primary mission is to assist local, regional, and state agencies (e.g., law enforcement, coroner/medical examiners, arson investigators, etc.) with active forensic casework investigations. We have a team on-call 24/7/365 to assist with forensic archaeological recoveries in outdoor crime scene contexts of human remains that may be skeletonized, decomposed, or taphonomically altered (e.g., burned, scattered from animals, water recoveries, etc.) In the laboratory, we assist the medico-legal system with information from analyses of the deceased’s skeleton that can be used to help establish identification and/or to help determine the cause and manner of death.

ForensicsColleges.com: Among your research interests are mass casualty events and fires, areas which are becoming more and more relevant through the increase in natural disasters and increasingly extreme fire seasons. What role do you see for forensics in dealing with these events, and what kind of changes would you like to see in the field to adjust to these new realities?

Dr. Klales: In situations with mass fatalities associated with natural disasters (e.g., Camp Fire in California or Hurricane Katrina), forensic anthropologists possess the best training and skillset to effectively and efficiently recover human remains and they should also be included in the subsequent identification efforts of the deceased.

Some regions have state-employed forensic anthropology teams (e.g., Oklahoma and New Jersey) or individuals/teams employed within the coroner or medical examiner’s office (e.g., New York City); however, most states and coroner/medical examiner offices do not have a forensic anthropologist or a forensic anthropology unit.

Given the value that forensic anthropologists contribute to medico-legal death investigations and the rise in natural disasters, states and medical examiner/coroner offices would benefit from having full-time forensic anthropologists instead of relying on contracting individuals or using non-ABFA board-certified individuals.

Career Outlook for Forensic Anthropologists

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2024), the career outlook for anthropologists and archaeologists is expected to grow by 8 percent between 2023 and 2033, as fast as the national rate for all professions.

However, forensic anthropology is a specialty in anthropology, so the demand for this specific profession could be highly competitive. According to the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA), many forensic anthropologists work in academia in teaching and research roles, while others work as coroners or medical examiners. Earning a master’s or doctoral degree is one recommendation to improve job prospects, although finding work as a forensic anthropologist with a bachelor’s degree is also possible.

Individuals who want to expand their professional networks should consider joining a professional organization like the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA) or the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). These organizations offer professional development, networking opportunities, and certification.

Forensic Anthropology Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 6,650 anthropologists and archeologists were employed in the United States (BLS May 2023). Earning an average annual salary of $69,780 and the following percentiles:

This data shows that forensic anthropologists are more likely to be employed in government-related positions, meaning that the salary potential for this specialty field of anthropology could be higher.

How to Become a Forensic Anthropologist

Pursuing a career in forensic anthropology requires a considerable investment of time and resources. As previously mentioned, finding employment in this specialized field is difficult without a minimum of a master’s degree. The following is a list of common steps to becoming a forensic anthropologist.

Step 1: Graduate from high school or earn GED (four years) – Those interested in this career should dedicate themselves to their studies as early as possible, including high school. Excelling in biology and other sciences courses will be a solid foundation for further academic studies.

Step 2: Earn an undergraduate degree (four years) – An undergraduate degree in natural science or a related field such as anthropology, biology, or forensic science are ideal pathways to pursue this career. To gain admission to a competitive master’s program, students should maintain strong GPAs and pursue extracurricular opportunities. For example, while few programs offer specific degrees in forensic anthropology, some bachelor’s degree programs include forensics courses in their anthropology programs.

Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) offers a bachelor’s of science in forensic science, emphasizing forensic anthropology. Upper-division courses include analysis of human skeletal remains. In addition, students can join the Forensic Science Society to network and gain early experience in forensic science, which can be valuable to highlight when applying to graduate programs.

The curriculum in this program is based on the core requirements set forth by the Forensic Education Program Accreditation Commission (FEPAC), an organization that accredits degree programs in forensic science.

• Location: Portales, NM
• Duration: Four years
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Oregon State University (OSU) offers an online 180-credit undergraduate degree in anthropology. Students can complete this program on-campus or online and earn a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science. Specializations are available in archaeology, biocultural, cultural/linguistic, and general anthropology. Courses related to forensic anthropology include human osteology lab and archaeological laboratory methods, and students can enroll in a 12-credit field school.

• Location: Corvallis, OR
• Duration: Four years
• Accreditation: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)

Step 3: Pursue a master’s or doctoral degree (two years) – Most forensic anthropologists have a minimum of a master of science degree. In a graduate program, students can focus their education on forensic anthropology and gain hands-on experience through internships. In some cases, masters-level coursework transfers directly into a doctoral program, leading to highly-coveted academic and research-based careers in forensic anthropology.

The University of California Davis (UC Davis) offers a master of arts (MA) and a PhD degree program in anthropology in two specialty areas: evolutionary and socio-cultural. Students in this program are encouraged to pursue doctoral studies to promote scholarship in anthropology. Students study various cultures through human skeletal remains and population genetics in the evolutionary specialty area. To graduate, students in this program must complete 36 units of courses, a qualifying examination, and a dissertation which can take approximately 4-6 years to complete.

• Location: Davis, CA
• Duration: Two to six years
• Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission

Please visit our accredited forensic anthropology programs page for a complete list of schools, which includes on-campus, hybrid, and online options.

Step 4: Obtain entry-level work as a forensic anthropologist (timeline varies) – With a master’s degree completed, graduates can look for entry-level work as forensic anthropologists, working with law enforcement or in the private sector.

Step 5: Consider a PhD program (two to four years) – While a PhD is not necessarily required to obtain employment in this field, those who take the time to earn one will likely have more career opportunities. Those who want to research and teach advanced degree courses in academia will earn a PhD.

Step 6: Become board-certified (timeline varies) – Forensic anthropologists with a PhD in physical or biological anthropology will have the opportunity to become board certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropologists (ABFA). While not required for all positions, having a certification indicates an individual’s experience, expertise, and commitment to the field of anthropology. The certification section below features more detailed information about the ABFA exam.

In short: because at least a master’s degree is often required for this career, a high school graduate can expect to spend at least six and perhaps up to 10 more years in school before they can expect to find reliable employment.

Forensic Anthropologist Tasks and Responsibilities

Forensic anthropology work can be emotionally taxing due to interacting with human remains, so it is vital to develop practical coping skills. In addition, having a professional focus and a good work ethic is essential for forensic anthropologists to perform their work well over time.

With these skills, forensic anthropologists will be better able to accomplish their regular tasks and responsibilities, which include:

• Collecting and examining skeletal remains
• Determining the demographic details of a potential victim
• Assessing remains for trauma
• Determining possible time and cause of death based on remains
• Working with forensic odontologists to perform dental record matches
• Relocating human remains when necessary
• Providing expert testimony in court
• Writing and presenting thorough reports to law enforcement and prosecutors

Certification as a Forensic Anthropologist

As mentioned above, forensic anthropologists who have earned a PhD are eligible to become board certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropologists (ABFA). To achieve this certification, candidates must pass an exam that covers the theory and practice of forensic anthropology.

The ABFA exam is offered annually and includes a written and practical exam. Candidates can complete the exam virtually through a test proctor for the written exam. As for the practical exam, candidates must make their travel arrangements to the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. To pass, candidates must earn 80 percent or higher in each area, become certified, and hold diplomate status through the ABFA.

ABFA diplomates must earn and document continuing education credits to maintain the certification. Certification through ABFA demonstrates that a forensic anthropologist has reached a milestone in expertise in the field. Certification is good for three years so long as an applicant reapplies, pays their annual dues on time, and adheres to an ethical and professional standards statement.