What are the best grad schools that specialize in forensic archaeology?

October 1, 2007 5:15 PM

What are the best grad schools that specialize in forensic archaeology?

My friend specifically wants to study archaeological human remains.

posted by danb to Education (10 answers total)

The University of Tennessee Knoxville, has what I've been told is a great forensic archaeology program.
posted by Phoenix42 at 5:35 PM on October 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

US or worldwide?
posted by Mr_Crazyhorse at 5:46 PM on October 1, 2007

Response by poster: Mr_Crazyhorse: Worldwide is fine.
posted by danb at 5:56 PM on October 1, 2007

I just toured the brand new facilities (still partly under construction) at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and they are world class - the new archaeology labs are 4 million bucks and the new forensic labs are 5 million. I doubt anywhere has better facilities in terms of labs. They have the largest archaeology department in North America, as well as an excellent criminology program. They have some good biological anthropologists as well as forensic specialists. Definitely worth checking out. Their facilities and new equipment blew me away. There should be a lot of excellent people heading there now, get in before the rush!
posted by Rumple at 6:18 PM on October 1, 2007

The University of Tennessee Knoxville has the original body farm, as immortalized in Patricia Cornwall's mystery novel of that name.
posted by svenx at 7:37 PM on October 1, 2007

the most interesting work I have seen done has been from universities in Italy.

particularly Genoa.
posted by Mr_Crazyhorse at 8:20 PM on October 1, 2007

I know somebody who is doing their PhD in forensic archeology, and I seem to remember them wanting to go Vanderbilt. I am not sure if it was because they had a good program or for some other reason, though.
posted by synecdoche at 8:50 PM on October 1, 2007

University of Florida has an excellent forensic anthropology program. Dr William Maples who wrote Dead Men Do Tell Tales was the director of the department when my cousin studied for his doctorate in forensic anthropology.
posted by hollygoheavy at 7:39 AM on October 2, 2007

Seconding University of Tennessee. Former home of the legendary Bill Bass and the Body Farm. He's retired far as I know, but I'm sure his legacy lives on.

His handbook for the identification of human remains is still used in universities (or at least it was when I took forensic anthro). My brother, a detective, carries a copy with him just in case.
posted by elendil71 at 8:30 AM on October 2, 2007

There are two different fields, and from the question it is not clear which one your friend is interested in. Forensic anthropology studies (relatively) recently deceased people in order to solve crimes. Some physical or biological anthropologists (interchangeable terms) are bioarchaeologists and study long dead people (mostly skeletal remains) from archaeological sites.

I don't have any rankings for either case and most anthropology rankings were last done in the mid-90s and won't be revised for another year or more. I highly recommend talking to actual people in your chosen field to get a sense of the requirements, time to degree, chance of working in the field, type of degree required for what you want to do (MA or PhD), etc.
posted by Tallguy at 10:34 AM on October 2, 2007