Careers in Physical Anthropology
Academic Positions
There are many academic careers for appropriately trained physical
anthropologists. The most common and traditional job openings are found in
anthropology departments in colleges and universities. University departments
of genetics, zoology, and biology also offer potential employment. So do
community colleges and professional schools. Many schools of medicine rely on
biological anthropologists to teach the gross anatomy of the human body to
medical and paramedical students. Currently, around one in eight American
physical anthropologists has some professional affiliation with a medical
school, usually in a department of anatomy.
A detailed appreciation of the range of jobs held by physical
anthropologists can be gained by studying the membership directory of the AAPA,
published every December in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. To
obtain an AAPA pamphlet providing additional details on careers in physical
anthropology, contact the Chair of the AAPA
Career
Development Committee.
Non-academic Positions
APPLIED ANTHROPOMETRY
Wherever people need information about the size, shape, anatomy, and growth
of the human body, there are job opportunities for physical anthropologists. In
the private sector, such jobs can be found in the automotive and aerospace
industries and with private consulting firms. In the public sector, job openings
in applied anthropometry are concentrated in the military. Appropriate
preparation for these jobs involves graduate training in such disciplines as
anatomy, genetics, nutrition, biomechanics, kinesiology, and biostatistics.
CAREERS IN MUSEUMS
Museums of natural history, anthropology,
archaeology, and science and technology offer employment opportunities for
physical anthropologists. There are over 700 such institutions in the United
States alone. Curatorships at large research museums are much like professorships
at major universities, and competition for such posts is correspondingly stiff.
Museums are also involved with education at primary and secondary school and
adult levels through on-site, outreach, traveling exhibit, and publication
programs. Physical anthropologists may serve in such programs as education
officers and coordinators, or find positions in exhibit development, collection
management, publications, and museum administration. Appropriate graduate
training in such disciplines as anthropology, anatomy, biology, geology, and
paleontology is an invaluable asset in seeking a museum post
CAREERS IN ZOOS
To physical anthropologists trained in primate biology, zoological parks and
gardens offer career opportunities under two main headings: collection
management, and captive breeding programs for endangered species. Training in
the study of primate behavior is a useful preparation for both sorts of job.
Geneticists skilled in the application of such new technologies as DNA fingerprinting
to the genetic management of small populations also find employment
opportunities in zoos. Applicants for zoo positions need to have a broad
zoological background, extending beyond the primates to encompass other
mammalian and vertebrate groups. Graduate research experience with zoo
populations is probably the best entry into the world of zoo research.
CAREERS IN FORENSIC SCIENCES
Forensic anthropologists use their knowledge of osteology and anatomy to
make forensic determinations and identifications involving human remains. They
find employment in the offices of medical examiners and coroners across the
United States. They are also in demand as expert witnesses in the courtroom.
Preparation for a career in forensic anthropology typically involves graduate
training in anatomy, skeletal biology, archaeological field methods, legal
evidence, pathology, and forensic science. Supervised casework and
participatory membership in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences are
important for professional advancement.
