Program Overview

Forensic Anthropology Program

The Forensic Anthropology program at Ohio State University is a specialized field that applies anatomy, biological anthropology, and osteology to aid in the recovery, analysis, and identification of human remains within medical and legal contexts.

Program Overview

This program is an applied area of biological anthropology, combining the science, methods, and technologies of biological anthropology with archaeology, the study of fossilization, and other related fields such as forensic pathology, dental anthropology, medical anthropology, and biomedical engineering.

Curriculum

The Forensic Anthropology major, leading to a BS, requires successful completion of 43 credit hours, which is comprised of 33 major hours, plus an additional 10 hours of pre-requisite course work.

• Three prerequisite courses (10 hours):
  • Introduction to Biological Anthropology
  • Introduction to Human Anatomy
  • Introduction to the Practice of Statistics OR Introduction to Statistical Analysis
• Two introductory courses (6 hours):
  • Introduction to Forensic Science
  • Introduction to Criminal Justice
• Three core courses (9 hours):
  • Modern Human Physical Variation
  • Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
  • Introduction to the Methods of Archaeological Science
• Two Practical Training Courses (6 hours):
  • Human Osteology
  • Forensic Anthropology
• Applications to Forensic Anthropology Courses (6 hours):
  • Students select two courses out of 12 related to applications in the field of forensic anthropology.
• Interdisciplinary Research and Application Courses (6 hours):
  • Students select two courses out of 16 dedicated to the development of educational and professional skills.

Internship

Anthropology students have had internship and volunteer positions in a wide range of organizations in the greater Columbus area and beyond, including the Ohio History Center, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), Franklin County Forensic Science Center, and the Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS).

• Students can also take ANTHROP 5685: Summer Field School in Archaeology, which offers practical experience in archaeological fieldwork, including site survey, excavation, surveying and mapping, preservation, and other related methods and techniques of data recovery.

Honors and Scholars

The Department of Anthropology offers Honors sections in introductory courses that survey the basic concepts and knowledge of the three major subdivisions Introduction to Physical Anthropology, World Prehistory, and Peoples and Cultures.

• Honors students may pursue graduation with distinction in anthropology by completing a senior Honors thesis.
• Non-Honors students may also graduate with research distinction by the completion of a senior thesis.

Research

Ohio States undergraduate forensic anthropology program includes fieldwork courses and classes held in a state-of-the-art forensic research lab.

• Past anthropology students have worked on research projects in bioarcheology, geochemistry, paleoethnobotany, forensic science, archaeological fieldwork, human biology, cultural ecology, contemporary migration, ethnography, and data analytics.
• They have traveled to Italy, the Amazon, West Africa, Oman, the Pacific Islands, and Poland, and have also performed impactful research in communities right here in Ohio.

Student Organizations

The Undergraduate Anthropology Club is dedicated to facilitating student social connections as well as career-oriented activities.

• Club members meet bi-weekly throughout the academic year for a variety of activities and meetings focused on creating undergraduate-graduate student relationships, finding field schools, graduate schools, and research opportunities, and promoting academic activities.

Possible Careers

Traditionally, forensic anthropologists worked in academic institutions and consulted for medical examiners or coroners.

• Today, many forensic anthropology positions are associated with the federal government and local coroners offices.
• The BS in forensic anthropology can also prepare you for graduate study in disciplines such as forensic anthropology, human skeletal biology, and forensic pathology along with medical school, work with coroners offices, and autopsy technician careers.