Biological Anthropology....?

Question

what JOB can i find/apply/have with a Biological Anthropology degree? or any kind of Anthropology?

Answer 1

Biological, or Physical, Anthropology can focus on a variety of areas of specialization:

1) Forensic Anthropology--This is becoming increasingly popular and as a result, more competitive.  Determining the cause of death, age at death, time since death, and general ethnicity from the bones means that the forensic anthropologist has to be an expert in human osteology, the study of the bones and the skeleton, as well as osteological pathologies, that is, the causes of death that can be ascertained from the skeleton.  A Master's Degree is usually the MINIMUM entry level degree in this field.  A ph. D. is the best.

2)  Paleoanthropology--the study of human origins and the evolution of our species, and our close Hominid relatives.  This is again, a field of Biological Anthropology where the expert becomes a professor and researcher, but the field is limited and highly competitive.

3) Primatology--studying our primate relatives requires a ph. D. and be prepared to do lots of fieldwork.  For the adventurous types only...

4)  Medical Anthropology--The study of diseases, the cultural ways in which we treat disease, is the subject of this specialization in Biological Anthropology.  You study genetics, odontology (teeth), osteology, etc.

5)  Bioarchaeology--broadly speaking, this is a new field.  It is basically forensic anthropology in and archaeological context.  In the USA, it is of limited application because there is a law that protects Native American remains from study.  Again, a ph. D. is the degree to have and one can work in exotic places such as Peru or Egypt if you are lucky.  Six months of field work and six months of teaching, not a bad job.

6) General Professor of Biological Anthropology--a professor's life is one to be envied.  It is one of research and publishing, and teaching is secondary to the former.  

A ph. D would be recommended to get any significant job in any of the above specializations, but with a Master's Degree, you could work in a laboratory and as a research assistant.

You could get a degree in general anthropology, and have a background in archaeology, especially field school, and you will qualify with a bachelor's degree to become an archaeological field school technician.  You can make $24,000 to 30,000 per year using your bachelor's degree in this capacity, but expect to work very hard and in adverse conditions, live in a hotel, and be a general 'shovel bum'.

Answer 2

When I was in college, my Biological Anthropology professor also worked as a forensic anthropologist.  He helped solve murders, like on the show "Bones."

Answer 3

Biological anthropolgists typically do something like forensic science or something with primate studies. My prof. specializes in ringtailed lemurs on Madagascar. Anthropology can lead to any number of careers in private and government jobs. Check out the link below for some suggestions/options. I'm an anth major myself, and forensics/osteology is my passion.