Forensic Anthropologist Salary

Forensic anthropology is a field that deals with application of laws of physical anthropology for legal process. A forensic anthropologist is basically a professional who studies the skeletons, badly decomposed bodies, or any other human remains, and helps in identification of an individual. In other words, a forensic anthropologist helps in identification of an individual whose remains are either burned or decomposed, thereby helping in legal processes as well as for humanitarian reasons.

Before evaluating the average forensic anthropologist salary, let us take a look at the responsibilities and duties of a forensic anthropologist.

Job Description of a Forensic Anthropologist

The career of a forensic anthropologist demands extensive study and research. The basic requirements to become a forensic anthropologist includes a Bachelor's degree in anthropology. This Bachelor's degree is then followed by a Master's degree in Anthropology and a Ph.D in anthropology. Thus, a student requires almost 10 years to complete the educational requirements of a forensic anthropologist. After that the student has to undergo special lab training, under the guidance of law enforcement agencies and crime laboratories. Once the student qualifies in all the educational and training requirements to become a forensic anthropologist, he/she can choose the field of interest. A forensic anthropologist can work for military forces, private legal agencies or for universities.

A forensic anthropologist who works for a law enforcement agency has to report his studies and analysis, to the police, detectives or lawyers. Such forensic anthropologists also need to study the skeleton or human remains, and find out the cause of death, sex and age at the time of death of the individual. A forensic anthropologist also has to work in conjunction with other professionals like pathologists, odontologists, and homicide investigators. Forensic anthropologists employed in universities or educational sector, need to guide the students of forensic anthropology by arranging various workshops related to law enforcement.

Thus, the job of a forensic anthropologist is demanding and equally challenging. You need to perform well on the theoretical and practical platform. When you perform well, you earn hefty recognition and remuneration, all at once. Striving for a good position and escalating on the career graph is what your aim should be, in order to become a successful forensic anthropologist. Here, we take a brief look at information on the salary of a forensic anthropologist.

Salary of a Forensic Anthropologist

There are too many factors that decide the annual salary of a forensic anthropologist, which include, location of job, type of employer, educational qualifications and work experience. According to a recent survey, the median annual forensic anthropologist salary is, $51,000. A forensic anthropologist with a work experience of less than one year can earn $36,000 to $45,000 per year. While forensic anthropologist with 10 years of work experience can earn more than $70,000. On the other hand, a forensic anthropologist with a work experience of 1 to 4 years, earns anywhere between $33,573 to $58,225. And a work experience of 5 to 9 years, can offer a salary range of $34,500 to $68,000.

According to a survey made in the year 2005, a fresher with a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology can earn $24,677 to $30,567 per year. While students with a Master's degree can earn up to $37,390, and those with a Ph.D. can get a median salary of $45,239. Another salary survey states that a Bachelor's degree in any other social science major can offer an average starting salary of $31,621. One more survey states that a forensic anthropologist employed by the Government (either State or Local), earn a median salary between $49,082 to $76,713.

Forensic anthropologist, is a very challenging profession and has good career opportunities, provided a student acquires all the higher educational degrees and obtains excellent basic training. Make a note that aforementioned figures, related to the forensic anthropologist salary are approximate and may vary according to geographical location and circumstances. So, if you wish to make a career as forensic anthropologist, make sure you conduct a good research of all the requirements and job outlook of this forensic field. Good Luck!