Do you need a degree to work for the FBI?

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I looked on the site and didn't find it mentioned.

 

[mastertech01]

Used to be a requirement for a bachelors degree in business preferred. Not sure now adays.

 

[glenn1]

Generally, yes.... the bureau is generally looking for college graduates with backgrounds in either (a) law, or (b) accounting. However, if you have special skills they are in need of (pilot, language skills, etc.) the degree requirement can be waived.

 

[bleeb]

hmm... Its probably better to have a degree because most of the people who apply have degrees and I'm pretty sure they have a better chance than people who don't. Unless of course you accomplish some major feat.

 

[ViperMagic]

I think you ave to have one in law Enforcemnet, but im pretty sure you ned to have one. My aunt is going to school again to get her degree to join the FBI

 

[Viper GTS]

From here:

Entry Requirements
Special People. Special Agents.
Special Agents come from a broad range of educational disciplines and professions, but the one thing they all have in common is a desire to fight crime and pursue a meaningful and rewarding career.

Special Agents must be armed or have immediate access to a firearm at all times when on official duty, unless good judgment dictates otherwise. In addition, Special Agents may be required to utilize deadly force should circumstances dictate.

Entry Requirements
To carry out its mission, the FBI needs men and women who can fill a variety of demanding positions. To qualify for training as an FBI Special Agent, you must be a U.S. citizen, or a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands, at least 23 and not have reached your 37th birthday on appointment. Candidates must be completely available for assignment anywhere in the FBI's jurisdiction, have uncorrected vision not worse than 20/200 (Snellen) and corrected 20/20 in one eye and not worse than 20/40 in the other eye. All candidates must pass a color vision test.

Special Agent applicants also must meet hearing standards by audiometer test. No applicant will be considered who exceeds the following: a) average hearing loss of 25 decibels (ANSI) at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hertz; b) single reading of 35 decibels at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hertz; c) single reading of 35 decibels at 500 Hertz; and d) single reading of 45 decibels at 4000 Hertz.

Candidates must possess a valid driver's license, and be in excellent physical condition with no defects which would interfere in firearm use, raids, or defensive tactics.

Applicants must possess a four-year degree from a college or university accredited by one of the regional or national institutional associations recognized by the United States Secretary of Education.

There are four entry programs: Law, Accounting, Language, and Diversified.

Law: To qualify under the Law Program, you must have a JD degree from a resident law school.
Accounting: Any applicant who wishes to be considered for the Accounting Program may qualify when he/she either:
A) Has been certified as a CPA; OR
B) Possesses a four year business degree with a major in accounting, or related business degree that included or was supplemented by 24 hours of accounting courses and an additional six semester hours of business law or other elective business courses, and two years of progressively responsible accounting work in a professional accounting firm or comparable public setting, such as a state comptroller or the General Accounting Office, the last which would be in a management, team leader or other type of position which would provide experiences in a variety of areas (banking, insurance, problem solving, etc.) and allow for exposure and experiences dealing with higher level organizational entities, i.e., partners and directors.

Language: To qualify under the Language Program, you must have a BS or BA degree in any discipline and be proficient in a language that meets the needs of the FBI. Candidates will be expected to pass a Language Proficiency Test.
Diversified: To qualify under the Diversified Program, you must have a BS or BA degree in any discipline, plus three years of full-time work experience, or an advanced degree accompanied by two years of full-time work experience.

Viper GTS

 

[MustPost]

<<I think you ave to have one in law Enforcemnet, but im pretty sure you ned to have one. >>

Um, what are you saying?
That you don't need to have a degree in law Enforcement, but you need a degree.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

My understanding is that essentially everybody hired by the FBI nowadays either has a law degree or an accounting certification. These are not hard and fast requirements, but I think they consitute the overwhelming percentage of new hires.

 

[glenn1]

oh, and BTW, that vision requirement is real and non-negotiable... i can speak from personal experience on that one

 

[nEoTeChMaN]

I've heard several olympic sniper (sharp shooter) champions joined the FBI.

Playing Counter-Strike do pay off!

 

[StageLeft]

Get laser eye surgery and that takes care of the eye problem.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Bah, maybe I should take up sharpshooting then. The prospect of 2 more years of school isn't really appealing to me.

 

[glenn1]

<< Get laser eye surgery and that takes care of the eye problem. >>



Perhaps, but you might want to check first... i know that in the military, getting corrective eye surgery of any type like that immediately disqualifies you from several skill identifiers, among them being airborne and scuba status... don't know what the FBI's rule is though, but it would be wise to find out first...

 

[db]

If you go in with two degrees, you will get the third degree by the time you get out.

 

[katka]

The answer is no, education is not required to work for the US Government. I use to work for the government and very few of them actually have degrees. I have a Masters Degree in Public Administration and was an outcast. Only the ones that they show on TV or with high profile jobs have educations. The rest make an acceptable salary but acquire jobs trough cronyism. They obtained their jobs through friends such as political appointees, congressmen, govenor connections, etc. If you are an immigrant it helps. Some people advance by having sex with superiors (women). This may sound bitter, sarcastic, or like a joke but I really am serious. And this is a true story.

 

[JetsFanatic]

Law or Accounting are the best

 

[worth]

You need a master's degree.

 

[PistachioByAzul]

I remember reading about this a while ago. As someone else said, you do need a degree, or a special skill. Also, they do screen candidates with a polygraph test, where they will ask if you've ever smoked marijuana (among other things, that was the most notable ). I don't think it's as bad as the CIA's polygraph screening though. Supposedly they'll hit you with all kinds of bizarre personal questions.

 

[masterxfob]

<< oh, and BTW, that vision requirement is real and non-negotiable... i can speak from personal experience on that one >>


damn, that sucks. being an FBI agent was something i was interested in.

 

[ElPool]

my dad was DEA. he said knowing a few foriegn languages is one of the best skills to have for DEA and FBI.

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

Why does the FBI look for people with law or accounting degrees? I thought they spy on peeps and shoot em if they get out of line. And investigative stuff too. So why law or accounting?

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

<< Why does the FBI look for people with law or accounting degrees? I thought they spy on peeps and shoot em if they get out of line. And investigative stuff too. So why law or accounting? >>



i asked a guy i knew who used to train students at the academy. i asked about it and he said if you arent a lawyer or accountant that the "process will be very frustrating", which i basically took to mean zero chance. i imagine they get tens of thousands of apps a year and hire very very few people, but i dont know for sure. he said it's best to contact a recruiter for current info.

i also imagine law and accountants because they already have the skills needed to do the majority of the work (or perhaps there is a low number of these folks, or there are cases needing these skills). well i mean that it's easier to teach a lawyer/accountant different skills needed for the job, but harder to teach someone who already has those skills (law enforcement for an example) how to do law/accounting. does that make sense?

like it's easier to teach an engineer how to write technical manuals than it would be to take someone who is good at writing and teach them engineering.

the big problem i see for most people is that lawyers and people who have CPA certification are going to be making a ton more than they would for the bureau. 60-70k at minimum i would think compared to 36k for the gov. almost half a pay cut to work for them, plus probably less money in the future (raises wouldnt be as high for the future as they would be if you were in public accounting or law).

how do most people look at them nowdays? like what is the attitude towards those who work for the doj? just because they have made a couple of mistakes (which can be argued, like waco or whatever) i think it's a great dept. to have and they get a lot done.

 

[Balt]

Wow, some good info in this thread. Is there a particular area of Law they would like you to specialize in? Also, anyone have an idea of what the physical requirements are (beyond vision I mean)?

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

Bruno that makes sense, but it sounded from the posts like they want A LOT of lawyers and accountants, rather than filling a need. I also got your point about easier to teach etc. I guess what my question was, what exactly does the FBI do?

 

[BoberFett]

Vipers post is a quote from their web site. That's pretty much the deal. Not too many ifs, ands or buts about it. I'm very serious about someday working for the FBI. I'm doing some serious thinking, and if I decide I want it bad enough, I'm going to go back to school *shudder* for a 4 year law enforcement degree, then go through law school. Ugh that's a lot of school.