Daniel Robb ⋅ Houston, TX US Dept of Homeland Security ⋅ 25 years experience

Positions are filled on a competitive basis, those meeting the minimum requirements will not be as qualified as those with the best qualifications. And, there are more applicants than there are positions. To become a police officer, the standard requirement for most major police agencies seems to be a minimum of 60 undergraduate hours (from a regionally accredited college), although some allow substitution of military service, and a Bachelor's degree may be preferred (generally required for federal special agent positions); although some may only require a high school diploma. Some agencies (and federal agencies) have a military hiring preference, and being an officer counts more than being an enlisted person. Some agencies have age limits, for federal jobs it is 21 minimum and 37 maximum. Any major is acceptable, but Criminal Justice, Forensics, Computer Science, Sociology, or Psychology may stand you in better stead. Foreign language ability, particularly Spanish, is advantageous. Smaller agencies may have a high school requirement. And GPA may be more important than major. The agency normally provides training, but some states may have private academies (like TX). Those meeting the minimum requirements may not compare well to the best qualified applicants. Many agencies have increased pay levels for higher education, and higher education facilitates promotion.

A Bachelor's degree is required for federal special agent positions (very few exceptions). As stated above, any major is acceptable. I attended an agency-sponsored Masters program for an MS in management. GPA, work experience, ability to communicate orally and in writing, and graduate degrees are what determine who gets hired for federal positions. And, there are always more applicants than positions. Those meeting the minimum requirements may not compare well to the best qualified applicants. Military service may provide hiring preference, service as an officer is preferred over enlisted service.

The FBI likes lawyers and accountants, but they hire from various backgrounds (http://www.fbijobs.gov/). Other federal agency job announcements should be available at https://my.usajobs.gov; acceptance of applications is cyclical. NCIS’s website: http://www.ncis.navy.mil/ (oversold due to TV).

You must have no felony arrests, and many misdemeanor arrests are also disqualifying, as may be bad credit. And, a domestic violence conviction will be disqualifying. Any prior drug use of any sort may be disqualifying, although exceptions are possible in some agencies. There may be a written exam, medical exam, polygraph test, physical fitness test, drug test, minimum eyesight requirements, psychological evaluation, oral board examination, and full background check. As I said, there are always more applicants than there are positions, so it may take many application submissions to get an acceptable job (at least it did for me). Contact the agency directly or look for their website, which will list their employment qualifications and requirements.

Contact me directly if you have any specific questions: dlro66@yahoo.com