For Students

We're excited to hear that so many of you are interested in a career in paleoanthropology. There are many different ways to work toward a degree in anthropology and many different branches of the field to study. Cultural, physical, and linguistic anthropology and archeology are the four usual branches of anthropology, and most colleges or universities will give you an introduction to all fields and perhaps allow you to concentrate in one. Studying anthropology is popular among undergraduates, and many schools offer major and minor programs. Our advice to those entering college or already there is to take a wide variety of courses, including biology, geology, chemistry and physics. All of these fields will prove useful if you decide to continue studying anthropology after college. In graduate school you can choose to focus on one of the four branches.

Graduate programs in paleoanthropology are selective and not as common as undergraduate programs. If you are seriously considering a career in paleoanthropology, this will most likely require you to obtain your Ph.D. An increasing number of graduate programs in paleoanthropolgy urge students to combine the variety of disciplines we've noted above - for example, geoarchaeology, evolutionary biology of early hominins, or the chemical analysis of early human paleoenvironments.

We encourage you to look into practical experiences either through participating in a field excursion or volunteering with a local museum. These experiences would allow you to apply what you are studying in school. You will also want to check with the anthropology department and career planning office at your college or university. Professors and career counselors can often help you line up a summer internship or volunteer position. The Paleoanthropology Society's student section has many useful resources on graduate programs, field schools, funding, job postings, and related links. While the Human Origins Program cannot accept interns during the summers because we are overseas doing fieldwork, the following links may be helpful in helping you find a paleoanthropology field school:

SUMMER

Koobi Fora Field School (George Washington University; Kenya; summer)

Olduvai Gorge Field School (Institute for Field Research; Tanzania, summer)

Drimolen Paleoanthropology Field School (University of Victoria; South Africa; summer)

Cape Town Paleontology, Paleoanthropology and Paleoecology Field School (Arizona State University; South Africa; summer)

Malawi Early-Middle Stone Age Archaeology Field School (University of Queensland; Malawi; summer) also see the Facebook page on this field school

Natural History of Tanzania (University of Arkansas; Tanzania; summer)

Dmanisi Paleoanthropology Field School (Universität Zürich; summer)

Paleoanthropology and Paelolithic Archaeology Field School (University of Winnipeg; Serbia; summer)

Primatology, Wildlife Ecology, and Conservation Field School (Rutgers University; Kenya; summer)

SPRING AND/OR FALL

Turkana Basin Field School (Stony Brook University; Kenya; spring and fall)

Hadar Paleoanthropology Field School (Institute of Human Origins; Ethiopia; fall)

Laetoli Field School (University of Colorado, Denver; Tanzania; spring)