FBI Agent Education and Careers

Learn all about careers as an FBI agent

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Career Overview

FBI agents are the government's principal investigators, responsible for investigating violations of federal law and conducting sensitive national security investigations, including the following:

Organized crime	Public corruption
Financial crime	Fraud
Bribery	Copyright infringement
Civil rights violations	Bank robberies
Extortion	Kidnapping
Air Piracy	Terrorism
Espionage	Drug trafficking

Special agents may perform these tasks:

Conduct surveillance
Monitor court-authorized wiretaps
Examine business records
Investigate white-collar crime
Track the movement of stolen property
Collect evidence of espionage activities
Participate in undercover assignments

Prerequisites for Becoming an FBI Agent

FBI training might include experience in law, law enforcement or the military. All of these will help if you're interested in working for the law enforcement branch of the FBI. If you'd rather work for the FBI regarding matters related to financial crime or fraud, then experience in the finance sector is necessary.

Candidates must successfully complete written and oral examinations, medical and physical exams, a psychological assessment, and an exhaustive background investigation. Also, candidates must be between 23 and 36 years of age at the time of appointment. Because AllCriminalJusticeSchools.com is not affiliated with any local, state or federal agency, you should be sure to check with your local FBI field office to see if the program you're interested in has any other specific requirements or restrictions.

Skills, Training & Experience

The FBI looks for candidates who have a criminal justice degree (bachelor's or master's), or a degree in one of the following areas: engineering/science, accounting/finance or foreign languages. Then you'll need two to three years of work experience. After you've been accepted by the agency, you'll train at the FBI academy on the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia for 17 weeks.

Currently the FBI is only accepting applications for candidates who have one or more of the following skills:

Fluent in a Foreign Language
Accounting/Finance experience (Accounting/Finance Degree/CPA/or at least two years of related work experience)
Engineering experience
Computer Science experience or other IT specialties
Physical Science experience
Law experience
Law Enforcement or other investigative experience
Military experience

Make sure you check with your school prior to entering a specialty area, as program outcomes may vary according to each institution's specific curriculum.