I want to be a paleontologist! A guide for students

Image showing a variety of different types of fossils.

Examples of a diversity of different types of fossils. Explore these on the Paleontological Research Institution’s Digital Atlas of Ancient Life Virtual Collection.

By PRI staff paleontologists and Cornell graduate students.

Page last updated May 3, 2022.

What is paleontology?

Paleontology is more than just dinosaurs! Paleontology is the study of the history of life on Earth as reflected in the fossil record. Fossils are the remains or traces of organisms (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and other single-celled living things) that lived in the geological past and are preserved in the crust of the Earth. There are many subdivisions of the field of paleontology, including:

  • Vertebrate paleontology: the study of fossils of animals with backbones;

  • Invertebrate paleontology: the study of fossils of animals without backbones;

  • Micropaleontology: the study of very small fossils that require the use of microscopes;

  • Paleobotany: the study of plant fossils;

  • Taphonomy: the study of how fossils form and are preserved;

  • Biostratigraphy: the study of the vertical distribution of fossils in rocks;

  • Paleoecology: the study of ancient ecosystems and how they developed); and

  • Conservation paleobiology: the study of geological records to provide a long-term perspective on modern conservation and restoration issues).

Paleontologists frequently are also involved in studies of ancient climate change and the evolution and extinction of past life forms. 

Paleontology is fun, thrilling, and fascinating, but it is also hard work. Paleontologists need to know about many fields of science, from rocks to genetics. Because of this, paleontology is among the broadest of sciences. There are many different ways to “be a paleontologist”. You can teach (at a variety of levels), do research, take care of collections or other paleontological resources, design exhibits, or be a writer or artist. Some paleontologists do all of these, and some focus on only one or two. There is no one way, or one path, to be a paleontologist. The information here focuses on the more academic and formal research sides of paleontology, but there are other ways to get involved, including getting involved in your local fossil club or society, volunteering at a museum, or engaging with fossil collectors.

What background do I need in high school?

The best starting point is to take as many science and math courses as possible. Writing and public speaking classes are also important: learning to communicate well is an essential skill that will serve you well no matter what you do in the future.

Learning about fossils and the history of life is best accomplished through outside reading (we have recommended a few popular and inexpensive books below, as well as some websites) and by visiting museums or parks with fossil displays. If you can find fossils near where you live, try to identify them using books or internet resources. If you live near a natural history museum, you might also reach out to their staff to find out if they have volunteer opportunities available.

Photograph of the Hyde Park Mastodon on display at the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, New York.

The Hyde Park Mastodon, on display at the Museum of the Earth, Ithaca, New York.

No matter how interested or knowledgeable a student is in paleontology, however, good overall grades in high school are almost always required for admission to a college or university, which is a necessary prerequisite for almost all professional careers in paleontology.

What background do I need in college?

A strong background in the sciences is essential, along with a firm concentration in both biology and geology. An undergraduate institution should be chosen on the basis of its quality of general science education and especially the quality of its biology and geology programs. At this stage the student often has to make a difficult decision about whether to major in biology or geology. The ideal arrangement is a double-major, with full undergraduate training in both biology and geology. If this is not possible, the best solution is to major in one and take substantial course work in the other. 

Liberal arts courses – including writing, history, art, and literature, and foreign languages – are also important. At least a full year of chemistry, physics, and mathematics through calculus are required by most graduate programs and should be taken as early as possible as an undergraduate. Coursework in statistics is also very useful.

Students should take all of the paleontology courses that their college or university has to offer. Smaller schools may have only one paleontology course, while large research universities may have several. These might include an introductory course that surveys the history of life, as well as classes on invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology, micropaleontology, and/or paleobotany. Beyond paleontology-specific courses,  the following “majors” courses are also very important:

  • In geology: historical geology, Earth systems science, stratigraphy/sedimentology, mineralogy, climatology, and sedimentary petrology.

  • In biology: “organismal” courses (e.g., invertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy of vertebrates, ornithology (birds are living dinosaurs!), plant structure and development, etc.; evolutionary biology, genetics, and phylogenetic systematics.

Even though most science programs require a year of calculus, course work in statistics (with development of computer programming skills in R) is much more useful and important for the modern paleontologist. If your program allows you to substitute statistics for a second semester of calculus, do it.

Photograph of books about paleontology and modern invertebrates.

Finally, an important part of your undergraduate preparation for a career in paleontology is to get to know a few of your professors and allow them to get to know you. They will be the ones who write you letters of recommendation for jobs and/or graduate school, which are among the most important parts of your application package.

It is also very helpful to talk directly with a professional paleontologist who can answer your questions about not just about the science, but also about how the field works and how you can enter it. In addition to the paleontologists on your campus, you can also find many professionals online who can help to answer your questions. Twitter is a fantastic place to find such individuals, who are often very happy to help. Following the #FossilFriday hashtag on Twitter is a good way to discover paleontologists and learn more about their research.

What other experience can I get?

Although strong academic course work is an important element of paleontological training, students interested in paleontology can also greatly benefit from obtaining first-hand experience in the field or lab itself. Access to such experiences depend on where you live. Before and during college, you can often seek out a paleontologist at a nearby museum, college, or university who will usually be able to suggest places to collect fossils and may have volunteer opportunities in their institutions. Local gem and mineral or fossil clubs are often excellent avenues for learning where and how to collect fossils in the local area, and for meeting other people interested in and knowledgeable about fossils. If there isn’t one where you live or at your school, you can try starting your own.

Photograph of curated ammonite fossils in a museum collection.

Curated ammonite fossils in the collections of the Paleontological Research Institution.

During the undergraduate years, opportunities for outside experiences usually increase. If there is a paleontologist at your college or university, you may be able to pursue independent research projects or assist the professor with their research. Museums on campus or nearby might have other opportunities as well, including with collections management (e.g., sorting or photographing fossils) or preparing fossils. Also be on the lookout for REU’s: research experiences for undergraduates. These may allow you to spend a summer at another university or field site to assist with a professor’s research and frequently cover most of your expenses.

Where should I go to graduate school and how do I apply?

Although not all careers in paleontology require a graduate degree, many do; depending on the position, this usually means either a master of science (MS) degree or a doctorate (PhD). For example, all permanent tenure-track faculty positions at colleges and universities—as well as curatorial positions at large museums—require a PhD and most also require subsequent postdoctoral research experience (a postdoc is a temporary position that is typically focused on a research project). Graduate training is also very helpful preparation for many positions in education or collections. 

Many research universities offer graduate training in paleontology, at both the master’s and PhD levels. Like most reputable graduate programs in the sciences, paleontology graduate programs generally provide funding for graduate students through research or teaching assistantships or fellowships. This means that your tuition is covered and you get a modest stipend that should cover living expenses. Depending on your interests, specific requirements of individual schools, or personal considerations, you may wish to pursue a MS degree before a PhD. Alternatively, you might wish to skip getting a master’s degree and instead pursue a PhD program directly. This will depend partially on the program. Some graduate programs only offer PhD degrees, while others require you to first attain a master’s degree before pursuit of a PhD.  If you have not had much first-hand experience with research in college (such as writing a senior thesis), pursuing a master's degree first may be a good idea. After obtaining a master’s degree, you may be able to remain at the same institution for your PhD, or move on to another institution. An MS in paleontology usually takes 2–3 years to complete. A PhD usually takes 4–6 years (this depends somewhat on whether or not you already have a MS, and which institution you decide to do your degree).

Photograph of a Devonian-aged brachiopod fossil on a piece of shale.

Devonian-aged brachiopod fossil from New York State.

Finding a graduate program that is well-aligned with your interests can sometimes feel daunting. A good first step, if feasible, is to ask your undergraduate advisor for advice on where to apply. It is most likely that they will point you towards individuals who are part of their own professional network. Another way to begin is to survey peer-reviewed research articles published in major journals within the discipline—for example, Paleobiology, Journal of Paleontology, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Palaeontology, Palaios, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Palaeontologia Electronica, and Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology—over the past year or two. Keep track of who wrote the papers that appealed most to you, and then look up those individuals online to find out if they have faculty positions that allow them to mentor graduate students. 

Once you have a list of such individuals, the next step is to contact them (email is fine) to see if they are accepting new students into their labs. It is very important to make contact with a potential advisor before applying to their institution’s graduate program. This not only helps you learn more about their graduate programs, but may impress them with the seriousness of your interest. Applicants who have not made prior contact with a potential advisor are typically not considered for admission. Even if discussions with a potential advisor are encouraging, it is always wise to apply to multiple programs. Admission into a graduate program almost always requires the approval of the potential advisor, but also frequently depends upon other factors (e.g., funding availability) that are beyond that individual’s control. In other words, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

When applying to graduate programs, carefully review all the necessary application materials and tailor them to each program to which you are applying. Each program likely has different requirements. Most U.S. programs used to require applicants to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), but the number that still do is diminishing. That said, some programs still require the test, so it is important to find this out well ahead of the application deadline.

Undergraduate grades are important, but so are strong letters of recommendation and clear, thoughtful statements of purpose. Don’t worry about a few blemishes on your undergraduate transcripts. Most professionals have some (some of us even have more than a few!), and it has made no meaningful difference to their careers. Transcripts that show improvement over time are viewed by many potential advisors as just as impressive as transcripts that show all As. Potential advisors are often also impressed by seeing evidence of completion of undergraduate research projects.

Can I get a job?

There is no way to sugar coat it: there are not many jobs in paleontology and the number of individuals searching for positions is always much greater than the number of positions available each year. That said, a small number of good positions usually become available each year.

Most professional paleontologists in the United States today teach and conduct research as college and university professors. Most paleontologists who study invertebrates and microfossils work in geology departments. Vertebrate paleontologists may work in either geology or biology departments, and some may also work in medical or veterinary schools (most are hired to teach vertebrate anatomy). Many paleobotanists work in plant science departments because they are experts on modern and fossil plant morphology, although paleobotanists may also work in geology departments, especially if they focus on paleoecological and paleoenvironmental studies.

Smaller numbers of professional paleontologists work in museums. These paleontologists carry out their own research, lead field expeditions, help care for collections, and consult on exhibit content. 

Some paleontologists work for government surveys, usually in geological mapping or other applied problem-solving positions. A number of government agencies – state and federal – employ paleontologists as “resource managers” to inventory, assess, and protect fossils on public lands. Some of these positions include a public education component. 

Fossils were once important for locating reserves of fossil fuels and energy companies used to employ large numbers of paleontologists. The advent of new technology for finding fossil fuels has changed this, however, and very few energy companies have staff who conduct paleontological work. That said, paleontologists still find employment within the energy sector. 

An increasing number of people with paleontological training are self-employed as writers (print or online) or artists. An expanding field is science communication, in which individuals with a science background use social media and other communication tools to educate the general public about science. Science communicators may be self-employed or may work for an institution such as a museum.

Suggested books to read

A History of Plants in 50 Fossils (2020), by Paul Kenrick.

A Short History of Nearly Everything (2004), by Bill Bryson.

Annals of the Former World (2000), by Simon Winchester.

Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline (2018): The Travels of an Artist and a Scientist Along the Shores of the Prehistoric Pacific, by Kirk Johnson and Ray Troll.

Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway (2007): An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip, by Kirk Johnson and Ray Troll.

Daring to Dig: Adventures of Women in American Paleontology (2017), by Beth Stricker and illustrated by Alana McGillis.

Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters, second edition (2017), by Donald R. Prothero.

Explorers of Deep Time: Paleontologists and the History of Life (2022), by Roy Plotnick.

Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck (1992), by David M. Raup.

Lab Girl (2016), by Hope Jahren.

Life on a Young Planet (2015), by Andrew Knoll.

Privileged Hands: A Scientific Life (1996), by Geerat Vermeij.

Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species (2009), by Sean B. Carroll.

Song of the Dodo (1997), by David Quammen.

The Bearded Lady Project: Challenging the Face of Science (2020), by Lexi Jamieson Marsh and Ellen Currano.

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1997), by Carl Sagan.

The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions (2018), by Peter Brannen.

The Map that Changed the World (2009), by Simon Winchester.

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (2019), by Steve Brusatte.

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History (2014), by Elizabeth Kolbert.

Tropic Arctic: Lost Plants, Future Climates, and the Discovery of Ancient Greenland (2021), by Jennifer McElwain, Marlene Hill Donnelly, and Ian Glasspool.

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World (2016), by Rachel Ignotofsky.

Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History (1989), by Stephen Jay Gould.

Your Inner Fish (2009), by Neil Shubin.

Websites to explore

Earth@Home. Learn about the Earth science and fossil record of the place where you live.

Digital Atlas of Ancient Life. Online resources to help you identify and learn about fossils.

myFOSSIL. Social paleontology website that connects professional, student, and amateur/avocational paleontologists and educators.

Paleontological Society. Professional organization dedicated to the advancement of paleontology and the careers of paleontologists. Website highlights numerous resources and opportunities for students.

Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Professional organization dedicated to vertebrate paleontology.

Time Scavengers. Introductions to topics in paleontology and evolutionary biology, as well information about careers in these sciences (including profiles of scientists).

Trowelblazers. Highlights contributions of women to the sciences of archaeology, geology, and paleontology.

Understanding Evolution. Introduction to evolution and how it works.