Forensic anthropology represents the area of study and the professional setting in which an expert in anthropology and human body is necessary in identifying deceased individuals whose remains are burned, mutilated or in any other way unrecognizable. The forensic discipline refers to applying the knowledge in a court of law.
the techniques of forensic anthropology are most often used in the recovery and analysis of human remains. The age, sex, stature and ancestry are the popular criteria which are assessed in order to estimate the predominant geographical ancestry of the individual, along with determining whether the individual was affected by accidental violent trauma or disease before or at the time of death.
As a sub-field of physical anthropology and applied anthropology, this specialization applies to many disciplines of the specialists, one of which is osteology.
| University | Division of Graduate Medical Sciences Boston University, Massachusetts |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $43,970 per year |
| Program link |
Division of Graduate Medical Sciences, Boston University, Forensic Anthropologhy Program Information
The MS in Forensic Anthropology Program offers a variety of courses in forensic anthropological techniques and procedures, taphonomy, human anatomy, osteology, pathology, human remains recovery, death investigation, experimental design and statistics, expert witness testimony and crime scene investigation.
Completion of this program will prepare students to continue their graduate education in a doctoral program and/or work in a wide variety of settings including medical examiners or coroners offices, crime laboratories, state and federal agencies and international organizations. The core modules are:
– History, Methods and Theory in Biological Anthropology
– Human Anatomy and Osteology
– Professional Skills and Thesis Research Development
– Special Topics in Forensic Anthropology: Outdoor Crime Scene Awareness
– Taphonomy
– Forensic Anthropology Techniques
– Bioarchaeology
– Zooarchaeology
– Research in Anthropology
– Taphonomy
– Mortuary Archaeology
– Advanced Osteology
– Expert Witness Testimony
– Applied Forensic Anthropology
– Elementary Biostatistics
Other useful information: This unique program is one of the only graduate forensic anthropology programs in a department of anatomy at a major medical center. This setting will provide students and faculty access to extensive resources and facilities, including the university’s outdoor research facility and human gross anatomy laboratory.
With the close affiliated with the Masters Degree Program in Biomedical Forensic Sciences, students have the opportunity to pursue training in multiple areas of forensic sciences.
| University | Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences The University of Montana |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $6,464 in-state, $18,606 out-of-state per year |
| Program link |
Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences The University of Montana Program Information
Students may develop and demonstrate research skill by formulating a research project designed to contribute original knowledge to the field of forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, human variation, or human skeletal biology, with the findings presented in a thesis. Pursuing this track will help the student prepare to pursue a career as a forensic or physical/biological anthropologist, or to continue their graduate education toward a doctorate. Students who complete the core requirements and one of the tracks described below will earn the M.A. Degree in Anthropology with the Forensic Anthropology Option. The core modules are:
– Forensic anthropology
– Osteology
– An archaeological field experience
– General forensic science
– Statistics
Other useful information: Students may design a MA program in which they specify a set of goals and a set of courses and other experiences that lead to achievement of these goals. Students demonstrate progress toward and satisfaction of their goals by collecting the work produced in their courses and other experiences into a portfolio. This track requires more course work than the thesis track or professional paper track. This track is designed for students who do not plan to work professionally as a forensic orphysical/biological anthropologist or who plan to use their MA degree in another context (for example, educators seeking an MA degree in a field of science).
| University | Program in Forensic and Biological Anthropology Graduate Studies Mercyhurst University |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $29,600 per year |
| Program link |
Program in Forensic and Biological Anthropology Graduate Studies Mercyhurst University Program Information
The Forensic and Biological Anthropology concentration in the Master of Anthropology program at Mercyhurst University lies within the Applied Forensic Sciences Department and the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute. This program represents the first in the country focused primarily on providing students with a comprehensive basic training regimen in these two combined fields. The program encompasses a rigorous curriculum that includes a strong grounding in biological/bioarchaeological anthropology, while emphasizing all of the major components of the discipline of forensic anthropology. These components include forensic osteology, forensic archaeology, forensic taphonomy, biostatistics, and skeletal trauma. Core modules are:
– Basics of Forensic Anthropology
– Forensic Archeology
– Fragmentary Human Osteology
– Human Skeletal Profile
– Modification of the Human Skeleton
– Statistical Methods in Anthropology
– Human Growth and Development
– Skeletal Trauma Analysis
– Forensic Taphonomy
– Advanced Statistical Methods in Biological and Forensic Anthropology
Other useful information: Graduates of the program are encouraged to continue their education in a doctoral program within the disciplines of forensic anthropology, biological anthropology, bioarchaeology, criminal justice, or forensic science. Graduates possess a competitive array of skills honed at Mercyhurst through field experience, a comprehensive academic curriculum, and extensive laboratory training. This intensive training also includes assistance on actual cases in every aspect of medicolegal investigations, from initial recovery to laboratory analysis and interpretation of results. The diversity of the Mercyhurst graduate’s skill set ensures that these students compare with those from larger universities to compete for teaching assistantships, grants, and other funding
| University | Department of Anthropology College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Portland State University |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $9,207 in-state, $14,391 out-of-state per year |
| Program link |
Department of Anthropology College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Portland State University Program Information
By agreeing to work with a graduate student, the faculty member agrees to make him or herself available for regular meetings, either in person or over phone/email; provide timely notice if meetings must be moved or canceled; advise the student in areas such as appropriate coursework and research foci; provide planning and support for the student to make progress in the program; and serve on the student’s thesis committee. The Anthropology Department offers 3-5 Teaching Assistantships per year. These assistantships provide nine hours of tuition reimbursement per quarter (but do not cover fees or books). The core modules of the concentration of Forensic Anthropology are:
– Introduction to Biological Anthropology
– Introduction to Archaeology
– Social Theory
– Practicing Anthropology
– Archeological Method and Theory
– Practicing Forensic Science
– Applied Anthropology in Forensic contexts
Other useful information: Students have the option of choosing either the thesis track or the applied track. The applied track is designed to prepare students for professional employment related to applied anthropology. Students in this track will complete an internship and internship paper, and 8 additional hours of coursework, in place of the traditional thesis. The thesis track candidate is required to do research in an area of special interest and prepare a thesis based upon it. In both cases a student can bring in 16 credits of post-baccalaureate work (or four 4 credit courses).
| University | Department of Sociology and AnthropologyCollege of Humanities and Public AffairsMissouri State University |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $4,500 in-state, $9,018 out-of-state per year |
| Program link |
Department of Sociology and AnthropologyCollege of Humanities and Public AffairsMissouri State University Program Information
The master’s program in anthropology provides advanced training in the field of applied anthropology, the application of anthropological knowledge and skills to the needs and problems of society today. It is intended to be a terminal, practice degree, although it will also be helpful preparation for a Ph.D. program. Applicants should generally have a strong background in anthropology. The program emphasizes the cultivation of transferable professional skills such as research design, qualitative and quantitative analysis, computer applications, proposal and report writing, and public speaking, which are useful in many lines of work, as well as the methodology to conduct ethnographic or archaeological research projects. Applied anthropologists typically work as archaeologists or social scientists for government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, corporations, and private consulting firms, and may be involved in practical research or planning and forensic issues. The core modules for the Forensic Anthropology concentration are:
– Ethnographic Field Methods
– Applying Anthropology
– Quantitative methods in Anthropology
– Research Design and Writing in Anthropology
– Internshp in Applied Anthropology, according to the concentration
– Practice in Applied Anthropology
Other useful information:Upon completion of the core courses, electives, and internship, each student will submit a proposal for a research project. This proposal shall be prepared in consultation with the student’s advisor. When completed, the graduate director will convene a hearing with the student’s advisory committee for final approval. There are two options for this research project:
Practicum. It is expected that most students will conduct an applied project from beginning to completion. The final report will serve as the equivalent of a thesis.
Thesis. In some instances, it may be more appropriate to conduct a research project and write a thesis.
| University | Department of Archeology Simon Fraser University, BC |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $5,084 per year |
| Program link |
Department of Archaeology Simon Fraser University Program Information
The concentration of the Anthropology masters program are, as it follows archeometry, art, ceramic analysis, cultural resource management, ethno-archeology, forensic anthropology, geoarcheology, historical archeology, lithic analysis, palaeo-anthropology, palaeoethnobotany, skeletal biology and zooarcheology.
The student gains a comprehensive understanding of the discipline and strives to acquire a general knowledge of world prehistory, physical anthropology, and archaeological theory and method, in addition to gaining knowledge and expertise in particular areas of research interest. Depending on enrollments, individual or group courses can be arranged in addition to regularly scheduled courses. The core modules of the concentration are:
– Archaeological Theory
– Directed Laboratory Field Research
– Molecular bioarcheology
Other useful information: Students advance to candidacy and complete and defend the thesis. The defense topic should be the thesis itself and related matters. It should be focused on problem-oriented research, involving the conceptualization of a problem, and the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. It should not normally exceed 100 pages of text. Students are expected to complete the MA thesis in a maximum of six terms of full-time enrollment.
| University | Michigan State University Department of Anthropology |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $44,230 in-state; $51,454 out-of-state per year |
| Program link |
Michigan State University Department of Anthropology Program Information
The graduate program in physical anthropology at Michigan State University has three specialties: forensic anthropology, bioarcheology, and the human biology of contemporary populations. During the past decade physical anthropology at MSU has risen to national prominence in research, graduate education, and outreach. The reputation of the program has been elevated by publications that appear in top journals and significant edited volumes; external funding for research through competitive grants; the recruitment of top student applicants from across the world; faculty holding the highest offices in national organizations; and through significant forensic contributions to medical examiner offices and law enforcement agencies. The core modules are:
– Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology
– Medical Anthropology (I): Overview
– Medical Anthropology (II): Theoretical and Applied Issues
– Physical Anthropology
Other useful information: The national reputation is also reflected in the number of national awards recently won by the program’s students and faculty. Students in the program have the opportunity to train in numerous dedicated laboratories: the MSU Forensic Anthropology Laboratory, the MSU Bioarcheology Laboratory, the Mis Island Nubian Skeletal Collection, and the MSU Biomarker Laboratory for Anthropological Research. MSU physical anthropology also has a strong international presence as demonstrated by its research initiatives: 1. Bioarcheological research projects in Central America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and East Africa; 2. Human biology research projects in Africa and South America; and 3. Collaboration with scholars and students from foreign universities and research institutes. MSU physical anthropology is committed to interdisciplinary efforts across the University and beyond.
| University | University of California State, Los Angeles, Department of Anthropology, College of Natural and Social Sciences |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $23,283 in-state; $34,443 out-of-state per year |
| Program link |
University of Cal State, Los Angeles, Department of Anthropology, College of Natural and Social Sciences Program Information
Forensic Anthropology at Cal State Los Angeles is a graduate option which requires special admission. The students must obtain admission to the university as well as to the option. These courses will be chosen by the student and his or her faculty advisor in consultation with the department curriculum committee. Students must satisfy this requirement in order to be advanced to candidacy and attempt the comprehensive examination or submit a thesis proposal Students must complete either the comprehensive examination or a thesis prior to graduation, as required and the individual options presented below. Students also must fulfill all university requirements including the graduation writing assessment requirement (GWAR).The core modules are:
– Advanced Forensic Anthropology
– Forensic Osteology
– Applied Anthropology
– Physical Anthropology
– Forensic Pathology
– Advanced Forensic Anthropology
– One from: Forensic Science, Interpretation of Evidence in the Courtroom, Crime Scene Management, Forensic Pathology (Advanced)
Other useful information: The MA degree in Anthropology, with a concentration in Forensic Anthropology, will prepare the student for alternate careers, including some in law enforcement (such as Death Investigation), museums (primarily in Human Osteology and Repatriation), and Junior Colleges (teaching). Students who have graduated in the physical anthropology MA program at Cal State Los Angeles are involved in Ph.D. programs around the country, including Arizona State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The Ohio State University, and others. One graduate is employed as a forensic scientist by the FBI, one is a law enforcement ranger with the Washington state park system, a few are working bioarcheologists and others are teaching in Southern California.
| University | Texas State University, Department of Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology Center |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $9,151 in-state; $19,771 out-of-state per year |
| Program link |
Texas State University, Department of Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology Center Program Information
The Forensic Anthropology program is a component of the Anthropology Department. Ideally, the students should have their undergraduate degree in anthropology, which needs to include a course in human osteology. Students who wish to specialize in forensic anthropology but who did not take human osteology as undergraduates are required to take Human Osteology during their first semester of the graduate program. Additionally, the students may apply to our graduate program with an undergraduate degree in a different field as long as they have taken the following four introductory level anthropology courses: cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, archeology, and human osteology. The core modules are:
– Anthropological Statistics
– Seminar in Cultural Anthropology
– Seminar in Biological Anthropology
– Seminar in Archeology
– Field Methods in Forensic Anthropology
– Lab Methods in Forensic Anthropology
Other useful information: The Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF) serves as a resource for forensic anthropology students, researchers, as well as state and national law enforcement agencies. Research into questions relating to time since death, the postmortem interval and decomposition processes for human remains under various topographical and climate conditions are conducted at FARF.
The FARF is a 26-acre outdoor human decomposition research laboratory at Texas State’s Freeman Ranch. The Texas State facility is spatially the largest facility of its kind in the world. The FARF is used by the forensic science community to gain knowledge about human decomposition and developing methods for determining the post mortem interval or time since death. The FARF is also used to train forensic anthropology students, law enforcement, and medico-legal personnel in methods for searching and recovering human remains in a medico-legal context.
| University | New York University, Department of Anthropology |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $35,496 per year |
| Program link |
New York University, Department of Anthropology Program Information
The department is committed to comparative research that seeks theories that allow for the enormous diversity in human life. The program offers a holistic approach to the study of humans and exposes students to the traditional sub-disciplines of anthropology while ensuring that they also receive intensive training in particular problems within one subfield. The Masters program in Biological Anthropology – Human Skeletal Biology allows the students to choose the concentration on Forensic Anthropology. This two year program prepares graduates to apply the principles and techniques of skeletal biology and genetic research in Biological Anthropology to a variety of contexts, including those in the Forensic Sciences (i.e., Medical Examiner’s office, Coroner’s office, Armed Forces, Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Mass Disasters). The program can also be useful training for students who are preparing for admission to doctoral programs in bioarcheology, skeletal biology and human evolution.
Other useful information: The Human Osteology Laboratory houses a comprehensive series of whole and fragmentary medical teaching skeletons and instructional sets for assessment of skeletal age and sex, dental anatomy and variation. The laboratory is further equipped with a three-dimensional digitizer (Microscribe 3DX), standard osteometric and anthropometric equipment, light boxes for radiograph interpretation and a computer workstation for viewing and measuring CT scans. The core modules are:
– Forensic Psychology
– Archeology of Death
– Paleopathology
– Molecular control of organism form and function
The Paleoanthropology Laboratory contains an excellent collection of casts of hominin fossils from Pliocene to Late Pleistocene which are used for both teaching and research purposes. The laboratory is also equipped with a three-dimensional digitizer, as well as computers with the necessary software for collection, processing and statistical analysis of two- and three-dimensional coordinate data.
| University | North Carolina State University, Department of Sociology and Anthropology |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $8,206 in-state; %21,661 out-of-state per year |
| Program link |
North Carolina State University Department of Sociology and Anthropology Program Information
Forensic anthropology is an applied subfield of biological anthropology that applies the scientific methods of biological anthropology to the medico-legal process. The forensic anthropologist can, at the end of this masters program, render a biological profile or composite of an individual by providing accurate information such as age at death, sex, estimated living stature, ancestry, osteological pathology, trauma, and other biological information that is crucial to the identification process.
Forensic anthropology at NC State is a component of the physical anthropology, which includes an introductory level forensic anthropology course elective and a dual-level undergraduate and graduate methods in forensic anthropology laboratory course. In addition, there are numerous opportunities for independent guided research in forensic anthropology. The core modules are:
– Archaeological Method and Theory
– Archeology of Death
– Bioarcheology
– Osteology
– Skeletal Biology
– Advanced Forensic Anthropology
– Advised Electives within or outside Anthropology (e.g. anatomy, taphonomy, etc.)
– Biological Statistics
– Masters Research
– Masters Supervised Research
Other useful information: Students will normally take three hours of Archeology Methods and Theory if following a biological/skeletal/forensic and archeology specialization and three hours of Anthropological Theory if following a cultural specialization, and then select to pursue research in one of the faculty specialty areas. Students are also required to take six hours of thesis research credit.
| University | University of Central Florida, Department of Archeology |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $5,088 in-state; %17,952 out-of-state per year |
| Program link |
The degree-seeking students in the Anthropology MA program may elect to follow either a thesis or a nonthesis program of study.
The thesis option is designed for students who plan to enter doctoral programs, while the nonthesis option is more appropriate for students entering or continuing professional careers following the MA degree. Both options require 30 hours of course work, of which half must be at the 6000 level.
The MA degree is conferred when students have fulfilled the requirements of either the thesis or nonthesis option. No graduate credit will be given for any grade lower than a B- (2.75), but the grade will be counted toward the GPA. Courses may be retaken to achieve a better grade; however, the unsatisfactory grade will remain on the transcript since there is no grade forgiveness at the graduate level. In order to stay in good academic standing, students must maintain a minimum Graduate Status GPA of 3.0 in all coursework taken since entering graduate status and a 3.0 in their program of study. Upon acceptance into the program students will be assigned a faculty adviser. Together the students and their advisers will determine the student’s preliminary program of study, either in the thesis or nonthesis option. Students should maintain close contact with their faculty adviser in order to develop a viable program of study and avoid graduation delays. The students have the possibility of choosing between more concentrations, among which Forensic Anthropology. For this specific concentration, the core modules are:
– Archaeological Theory and Method
– Biological Anthropology
– Cultural Anthropology
– Problems in Forensic Anthropology (I, II)
– Advanced Medical Anthropology
– Advanced Human Osteology
Other useful information: Upon acceptance into the program students will be assigned a faculty adviser. Together the students and their advisers will determine the student’s preliminary program of study, either in the thesis or nonthesis option. Students should maintain close contact with their faculty adviser in order to develop a viable program of study and avoid graduation delays. The required courses provide an in-depth understanding of the epistemological foundations of the discipline. Students are introduced to the theory and practice of anthropology at a level of synthesis that will prepare them for future doctoral study should they wish to pursue it. These courses also establish the foundations of understanding that will prepare students for nonacademic careers that employ anthropological perspectives and knowledge.
| University | University of Hawaii, Leeward Community College |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $5,952 per year |
| Program link |
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The Certificate in Forensic Anthropology (CAFA) provides the students with a strong background in forensic anthropology. They will be giventhe opportunity to learn to use standard scientific techniques to identify human remains and assist in the detection of crime. This certificate, in combination with appropriate Associate and Bachelor’s degrees, will help make you competitive for a variety of job opportunities, including crime scene analyst, forensic anthropologist, forensic scientist, and crime lab technician. The CAFA program is a joint program offered by Leeward CC and UH – West O‘ahu. The Certificate is awarded by UHWO upon the completion of all requirements. The core modules are:
– Human Biology
– Human Skeletal Biology
– Physical Anthropology
– Field Archaeology
– Forensic Investigations
– Criminal Law and Procedures
Other useful information: Leeward Community College’s proven commitment to affordable, quality education is a foundation of our mission. As part of the University of Hawai‘i system, the professionals are dedicated and responsive to our community, providing an open door to the world of educational opportunities.
Located in Pearl City, Hawai‘i, Leeward CC is a regional community center, creating both an environment for academic learning and a center of cultural life for our neighbors. From professional career studies to liberal arts, the College offers diverse and comprehensive opportunities for all students.
| University | Central Michigan University, College of Humanities and Social Behavioral Sciences |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Type | Full time, Part time |
| Tuition and fees | $11,640 in-state; $18,384 out-of-state per year |
| Program link |
Central Michigan University, College of Humanities and Social Behavioral Sciences Program Information
Consider these key features distinguishing this program at CMU: fieldwork experiences and curriculum on societies throughout the world and research opportunities with experienced faculty, study-abroad possibilities, professional development through on-campus organizations such as The Anthropology Club, faculty members who are active researchers, activists, consultants, community organizers, officers in professional organizations, and authors and editors of relevant publications, small classes allowing for specific study and close interaction with instructors. The core modules are:
– Cultures of Latin America
– Cultures of the South Pacific
– Field School in Archeology
– Laboratory in Physical Anthropology
– Language and Culture
– Medical Anthropology
– Method and Theory in Archeology
– North American Indian Cultures
– Primate Behavior
– Principles of Forensic Anthropology
Other useful information: Graduates of the Anthropology program at CMU will find career opportunities in a variety of areas. Some of these may require additional education. The professors of Central Michigan University strive to help students better understand people and communities at regional, national and international levels and also believe that students need to understand the past to make a difference in the future.
