How many years is required to be a forensic anthropology?

Question

i am doing a project and i need how many years in college are required to be a forensic anthropologist

Answer 1

Depends on the ultimate goal. If you just want a BS in Forensic Science, 4 years. If you want a job, contact the agency where you want to be employed and ask for their education requirements.

Answer 2

Well the amount of years varies depending on school, the degree you get, and your research.  I'd say a good average for PhD would be around 9 years or so.  There are some people who get their BA, MA and PhD right after each other and can pull it off in about 7 years, but it's really hard to do.  Forensic anthropology is one of those fields where it's really good to get your BA or MA and then go work in the field and get some experience before moving onto the next degree, so doing that would stretch out the amount of time it takes you to get your degrees.  

There are some schools, such as mine, that make you get your Master's in 2 years, so for schools like that the amount of time would probably be pretty standard for everyone.  However, there are schools that let you take as much time as you need if say you have a really involved and extensive thesis and/or dissertation that's going to take more than a year to research.  

Then you also need to take into consideration what type of degree you have.  There are some practicing forensic anthropologists who just have an MA, but there's a recent trend towards making everyone who practices as a forensic anthropologist have a PhD in the field, so this would definitely affect the number of years in school.  If I had to say an average though, 9-10 years total with definite exceptions, mostly adding years to that.

Answer 3

Although you may be able to get employment with a Masters, it is more realistic that one would need a PhD.  Info is used in legal context and as such expert opinion is needed (someone with the highest level of education).  Hard to pit an MA/MS up against a PhD.

As for time...that is hard to say.  It depends on the amount of time one takes to complete thesis & dissertation research.  If someone was to plow through....then 5 years min to obtain both Masters and Phd would be my best calculation.

This is from the UTK site (the pioneer in Forensic Anth education)

"What training do forensic anthropologists need?

Current minimum requirements necessary to become a forensic anthropologist include a Bachelor's degree in anthropology or a closely related field, a Master's degree in anthropology, and usually a PhD in physical anthropology.

Additionally, during their education the student must seek out opportunities to gain experience by assisting an established forensic anthropologist with casework.

After the PhD, there is still additional training to complete. Though not a requirement, the American Board of Forensic Anthropology recognizes established forensic anthropologists as diplomates after the required educational requirements are met and the candidate successfully completes written and practical exams."

Answer 4

Usually specializations in anthropology require graduate education, at least a masters degree, which usually requires at a minimum two years beyond Bachelors degree. If you go for a PhD. it may be another two or four years or so, depending how hard you apply yourself. Your best bet would be to research various colleges that offer specializations or programs in forensic anthropology and look at what their programs entail. Nowadays, I think, such information can be found on the websites. If you are really serious, then you had better start writing letters to the graduate secretaries of these departments, who should either answer your questions or pass them on to members of the departments.

Regarding the different kinds of jobs you can get with different degrees, you can look at job bulletin boards and see what sorts of requirements they have for their jobs. If there are forensic anthropologists you can talk to, they should also be able to help you. Libraries and librarians, who can help direct your inquiry, are of course always good places to start asking questions.