The program in physical anthropology focuses on the complex interactions of human biology and culture, particularly the effects of human actions on skeletal anatomy both during life and after death. Graduates in physical anthropology have built careers in academia, in public and private sector organizations concerning health-related public policy, and also law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels.

Faculty and students in physical anthropology are actively engaged in research and teaching concerning a variety of issues in human biology, including:

• The Physiology of Human Bone
• Dietary Change in Prehistoric and Historic Populations
• The Effects of Disease, Nutrition, and Trauma
• Human Biology and Racial/Ethnic Classification Systems
• Crime Scene Investigation, Including Recovery and Treatment of Human Remains
• Individual Identification
• Facial Reconstruction
• Postmortem Changes

Students and faculty conduct research in the forensic anthropology laboratory in Fee Hall, which also houses the two MSU medical colleges. Graduate students also have access to the autopsy facilities at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing for study, training, and research.

Faculty and students also collaborate with forensic scientists from other units on campus, including the School of Criminal Justice, the College of Natural Science, and the Department of Entomology.