You’ve seen FBI agents in movies and at major crime scenes on the news, and you’ve always dreamed of joining their ranks and helping fight crime at one of the top levels in the country. But since so many people share this dream with you, you’re really going to need to stand out from the crowd. College is often the first step for many FBI hopefuls, but since there isn’t really an “FBI degree”, how do you know what to study and what type of degree to get? In reality, a lot of degrees can actually help you get into the FBI, so the real choice that you have to make is to decide what exactly it is that you want to do once you get into the Bureau.
Criminal Justice is a good starting point
Most FBI hopefuls go to school for a criminal justice degree. This is often the best choice and gives you the most flexibility, but it doesn’t really help you stand out from the crowd. You should get the highest level of criminal justice degree provided at the best school that you can get into, and you want to ensure that your GPA is flawless. You may have to end up working for local law enforcement before getting into the FBI, but a criminal justice degree will certainly get you started along the right path.
Consider specializing
If you really want to increase your odds of getting into the FBI, you should consider going into a certain department of the bureau. You can do this by supplementing your criminal justice degree or by just looking to get your masters in something like biology, accounting, computer science, chemistry, or foreign language. Biology and chemistry degrees will allow you to work in forensics, investigating DNA samples, etc. Accounting will get you into doing investigations on money laundering and white collar crime- your job will involve a lot of numbers and seeing if they add up. Computer science lets you work with computers and will put you in charge of dealing with crime in the digital world- which is where most modern crime takes place. Foreign language will get you into the FBI as a translator, which are almost always in demand. Focus on learning Chinese or Arabic, as these are two of the most sought after language translators in the FBI today.
Keep in mind that the competition is high
Since your competition is high, one of the most important things to remember about getting your degree is that you must always be either at the top of your class or near the top. Since you can get into the FBI with a variety of different degrees, it’s not so much about the degree you get but how hard you worked to get it, which shows how hard you will be willing to work once you get into the Bureau. FBI agents hold some of the most important jobs in the nation, so you will have to prove that you are good enough to hold the title. As long as you work hard, you can get that FBI job.
