Education in Forensic Anthropology: Appraisal and Outlook

Increases in the awareness and participation of physical anthropologists in forensic investigations have resulted in growing concerns over the training of students with specializations in forensic anthropology. A survey of United States universities shows that forensic anthropologists provide training to large numbers of students in basic osteology and smaller, but still significant numbers of graduates and undergraduates in forensic anthropology. Their work augments that provided by physical anthropologists whose interests lie in osteology and skeletal biology. Discrepancies exist in the course topic content in training provided by these two groups (forensic anthropologists and osteologists) which may have implications for the future, especially if some students are unaware of the legal role and responsibilities of anthropologists in the forensic sciences.