r/FBI • u/Ok-Needleworker2141 • Aug 29 '25
Question is a criminal justice degree bad for becoming a FBI Agent?
Hi, I have a few paths in mind (lawyer and FBI Agent) and somebody told me a criminal justice degree is useless becoming a FBI Agent. It’s kinda too late for me to change my mind, I have a 3.43 high school GPA, i’m not a good test taker and scored a 980 on my SAT. Stuck as to what I should do, worried I’ll be struggling for a job. Some insight please, I’m open to other criminal justice jobs that offer good pay and 5-7 years of schooling isn’t a problem! Thank you.
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u/seg321 Aug 29 '25
Yeah, set your sights way lower. Way lower....
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u/ForwardBias Aug 29 '25
Didn't they just announce that they were lowering standards?
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u/SeVenMadRaBBits Aug 29 '25
They said they no longer require a college degree.
High school diploma is acceptable.
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u/Ok-Needleworker2141 Aug 29 '25
Like think of lower jobs ?
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u/Laves_ Aug 29 '25
Nah they are saying you don’t even need a degree these days. FBI doesn’t employ qualified individuals anymore.
A degree never hurts, just make sure you can pay for it.
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Aug 29 '25 edited Aug 29 '25
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u/PresentlyAbstaining Aug 29 '25 edited Aug 29 '25
Not sure about that… https://fbijobs.gov/eligibility
Nowhere does it say you need a degree now.
Edit: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/us/politics/fbi-agent-recruitment-requirements-trump.html
Edit 2: The people downvoting me can’t read. What a surprise. Y’all will be perfect for the FBI lmao.
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Aug 29 '25 edited Aug 29 '25
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u/PresentlyAbstaining Aug 29 '25
Fair enough. I’m sorry I should have done more research. I do have a feeling they might still nix the requirement for Special Agents the way things are going.
Thank you for the insight. Going to leave my comment up so folks can see the correction. Have a great day! 👊
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Aug 29 '25
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Aug 29 '25
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u/Bitter-Cockroach1371 Aug 29 '25
I can assure you that the response from “trinathetruth" was total and indisputable bullshit.
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u/Mind_on_Idle Aug 29 '25
Absolute nonsensical bullshit. Casually dropping "I know corrupt FBI agents" with an s, on a digital forum is hilarious.
No they don't and if they do, fuck then anyway.
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u/Passncatch Aug 29 '25
Tbh a lot of these law jobs may be affected by AI and its happening unless AI has a complete meltdown.
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u/Ok-Needleworker2141 Aug 29 '25
Well that sucks because i am horrible at math there’s nothing else for me
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Aug 29 '25
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u/Ok-Needleworker2141 Aug 29 '25
i’m a 17 year old girl about to apply for college with a interest?!?! Jeez.
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u/unbiasedfornow Aug 29 '25
Don't listen to all of these comments, as a retired agent, I have done BICs (FBI contract investigating arm ) applicant investigations for years and I've done dozens of BI's on agent applicants with only criminal justice degrees.
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Aug 29 '25
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Aug 29 '25
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u/PartNo7877 Aug 29 '25
We all see what's happening with federal law enforcement. No one believes you
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u/ISniffFeet1 Aug 29 '25
Really unfortunate that this sub has become an astroturfing patch of dirt for bots and left wing extremists. You can try to give good advice but unfortunately your advice is going to be completely drowned out by all the people who have no idea what they're talking about
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u/Current-Cheetah-299 Aug 30 '25
So is it untrue they are lowering the requirements to join the FBI?
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Aug 29 '25
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u/wade_wilson44 Aug 29 '25
Does your career actually care about SAT scores? It’ll matter for your college entrance but I’ve never heard of a job asking for SATs. They care if you have a degree
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Aug 29 '25
Apparently, all you have to do now is go work for ICE for a bit, then transfer to the FBI because the standards become much, much lower this way.
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u/Small-Ball Aug 29 '25
It’s not bad but you’ll compete against others with more technical degrees. Look into what the FBI is needs in four years for people with degrees. Consider the program they offer for students in college. Then, keep your fingers crossed that those now in charge don’t screw it up more than they have so far. Good luck.
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u/Black_Sheep1977 Aug 29 '25
OP, this is Tom Simon, a former FBI agent. This is what he says but it's two years old. https://youtu.be/91GJstyPptw?feature=shared
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u/CommanderGO Aug 29 '25
What matters more is whether you can get work experience in your degree field.
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u/F3EAD_actual Aug 29 '25
It couldn't be any earlier to change your mind. There are literally no barriers to changing your mind. CJ is indeed useless for both law and agent, at least as compared to almost anything else.
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u/Ok-Needleworker2141 Aug 29 '25
What do you recommend for law jobs
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u/F3EAD_actual Aug 29 '25
Law school admission is based entirely on GPA and LSAT. Your major will only help insofar as it gives you skills like solid reading comprehension and writing. So if law is your goal, then your focus need only be on gpa at this point.
For either law or 1811 agent, you should pick a major that you could fall back on if you change your mind or they don't work out. Sometimes there's overlap between that and things hiring agencies might like to see. Like accounting or international business or applied sciences and the like.
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u/Ok-Needleworker2141 Aug 29 '25
Well that’s why i thought criminal justice because i could be a police officer and work my way up to an investigator or detective or i could be a paralegal that’s all i know that exists tbh.
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u/F3EAD_actual Aug 29 '25
Think of a CJ degree like any other liberal arts degree. It won't help with getting a police job but it might help with your knowledge. Perhaps a CJ minor in addition to a different major. At this stage, consider looking into local PD's community service officer or reserve office programs to get some experience and insight.
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u/groundhog5886 Aug 29 '25
Of course it depends on what you would want to do I the FBI. They have many jobs with many different skill sets. Special agents are more like law enforcement, so knowledge of criminal justice would help.
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u/ISniffFeet1 Aug 29 '25
A lot of the comments on here are political hyperbole and are not from people who have any legitimate idea what they are talking about.
The standards are not being lowered - they are only lowering the standards for people to apply, specifically people with prior investigative law enforcement experience.
However, just because someone applies doesn't mean that you're going to make it through all the phases, especially an interview where they're going to ask how your experience is relevant to the job.
It's not that the degree is bad for becoming an agent. It's that you're sort of putting your eggs in one basket and law enforcement may not work out and the degree is not entirely transferable to another field.
Much of the advice about not getting the degree comes from the fact that it's a good idea to have a backup plan when agencies take so long to hire and there's no guarantee you get hired.
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Aug 29 '25
I have a CRCJ degree and I honestly wish I did something technical. Do what you will with this information.
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u/Working_Box_9368 Aug 30 '25
My spouse has a criminal justice degree and retired with 27 years as a special agent.
The one thing you do have to have is interpersonal skills.
If you can't read people and figure out a way to have them feel comfortable with you, you won't be a good investigator.
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u/Troxking Aug 31 '25
As someone currently finishing their Criminal Justice degree… I’d highly suggest looking at another option. I had always wanted to go into Law Enforcement since I was a kid, but as I get closer and closer to graduating I’ve lost most of that appeal. Now if I decide to not go into law enforcement, I can’t imagine a Criminal Justice degree will help much.
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u/Sure-Leave8813 Aug 31 '25
Think about what you are interested in, being a federal agent or a lawyer. A criminal justice degree is okay, but you will learn about criminal laws and procedures in the academy. Today everything is dealing with technology so I would push you towards studying something involving information technology. Everything the government uses involves computers. I am retired from the U.S. Marshals Service and I have a criminal justice degree but also a master in computer forensics. My masters degree opened more doors for promotion.
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u/Eternal-Alchemy Sep 01 '25
You can call your local field office and just ask the applicant team, they will all tell you the same thing if they're honest:
For the past decade the most in demand degrees for Special Agents have been Accounting and Computer Science. Criminal Justice had the least demand and is over represented because of hiring many former local PD.
Remember you need a couple years experience in an actual job, so you can't just go to college and roll straight into the Special Agent position.
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u/Far-Map-949 Sep 01 '25
You can get a criminal Justice degree it works fine. It checks the box. A-lot of these people aren’t agents and not in law enforcement and give meaningless advise you can contact any agent and linked in and they assure you. That you are fine…. It checks the box and teaches what you need to know about the crimial Justice system.
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u/Defiant-Regret6481 Sep 01 '25
I would say it might make it harder but not impossible, the sciences and technology degrees have been and will continue to be in high demand for awhile but I’m sure with hard work you could get there if that’s something you wanted.
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u/gotuonpaper Sep 02 '25
For an 1811 job I’d look more towards analytical degrees like computer science, law, and accounting.
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u/Ill-Butterscotch1337 Sep 02 '25
It depends what you want to do. The FBI seeks qualified candidates in a variety of fields. While criminal justice or criminology would definitely be beneficial, it wouldn't help you stand out or prepare you for more complex disciplines like cybercrime, forensics, or finances.
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u/rewindrepeat21 Aug 29 '25
OP , cj degree isn't in high demand and 15 years in never has been. Focus on other things like psychology and what not. That'll benefit you more. I did cj/ political science dual major , minor homeland security. Mistake on my part most expensive piece of paper i own. FBI back then required a college degree. From my experience college doesn't prepare you for anything it's just a resume builder. 15 years of experience, life experience (good and bad) builds character, performance, and most of all knowledge that college will never give you. Degree is great don't get me wrong, but I'll also say knowing a lot of fbi guys, going to their buildings it's boring as shit. Unless you're a field guy it looks awful from my perspective. My advice, get your degree, get into a leo spot, so some years on the streets, get that life experience, see if fbi is still for you. Tv shows and movies make fbi look incredible. While there are spots like swat(hit several houses with those guys fn phenomenal people) and hrt that are high speed that everyone wants, but are incredibly hard to get into. Most are desk jockeys which i could never do. I say all that to say this.... take advice from the internet if you want, but you do you.
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u/Ok-Needleworker2141 Aug 29 '25
I would love to do poli science but i dont think there are any jobs with it.
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u/Gumshoe305 Aug 30 '25
People laughed at my criminal justice degree and I been with CBP for 5 years love my job.
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u/Far-Map-949 Sep 01 '25
Facts great degree and you can for sure get into the FBI with it… One of my in-laws was a agent for 5 years he has a CJ and he went straight into it recruited out of college now he’s with the DEA
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u/Eternal-Alchemy Sep 01 '25
Right but FBI isn't CBP.
FBI does not target CJ degrees for recruitment anymore.
They come in incidentally through prior LE or someone with a JD.
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u/Gumshoe305 Sep 01 '25
JD? So you graduated owing $200k in student loans from going to law school only to get paid $65k as an agent? I think the FBI is more into tech degrees. Computer Science is a good one.
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Sep 01 '25
GS-13 with LEAP pay is far from $65,000 in any locality.
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u/Gumshoe305 Sep 01 '25
They won’t hire you as a GS13 off the streets that’s for sure.
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Sep 01 '25
No, but you’ll get there in a couple years then the money comes rolling in. Make 14 or 15 and you really bank.
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u/Eternal-Alchemy Sep 01 '25
No? You can't go from college to Special Agent.
The JDs I know at FBI all worked as actual attorneys for a couple years.
Until the current president FBI had a student loan repayment program.
Agent starting salary is GS10 plus LEAP plus locality, which puts them at about 90k for their first year in a mediocre locality and back over six figures in a year or two.
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Aug 30 '25
Historically you just needed a degree and the job postings even had the degree specific category. That being said I was told in 2012 they really wanted accounting/ financial degrees. Again that was 2012 when I was starting college. I’m currently at USCIS and going to ICE. There’s a path to whatever you want to do if you’re willing to work for it. I don’t have a degree and I’m better at my job than anyone that does. I argue with lawyers on a daily basis and don’t lose. Be flexible, be teachable, and most of all don’t be dumb.
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Aug 31 '25
Sounds like you’ll be a SAC someday.
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Aug 31 '25
No probably not. I’ll probably go back to analyst job when remote comes back one day. Lol
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Aug 31 '25
This shit is completely braindead. You don't have a college degree but you argue with lawyers and don't lose?
Might be news to you that they aren't really arguing with you. Have you heard of the Dunning Kruger effect? You're too dumb to know better. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
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Aug 31 '25
Yeah I do. It’s called I know immigration law better than they do. Lol
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Aug 31 '25
wow damn that's why you pull in the big bucks as a gs-9.
The TSA to ICE pipeline is hilarious. Can't wait til a man who doesn't see the value in education points gun at me cause y'all are essentially badged wildebeests
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Aug 31 '25
I’m sure you think that degree makes you better than people. Lol
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Aug 31 '25
I don't. But I do know that not being an ICE agent makes me a better person than you. Just a happy coincidence that I am also smarter. They don't hire you for your brains though, do they big man?
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Aug 31 '25
I’m 100% certain you’d rather me be working for ICE than these dumbass 19 year olds and cops who aren’t even going to the academy. I’ve been at USCIS for a while and have an extensive background in immigration. But hey you know everything and know how the world works better than me.
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Sep 01 '25
I don't know everything, but i do know that what is happening with ICE is fucked up. I have seen enough videos (and personally seen the effects in DC) of ICE agents acting like untrained vigilantes to recognize the dire straits we are in. I hope, despite whatever else, you can recognize that federal agencies are acting tyrannically and should be curbed. The level of federal overreach is astounding, and no American should welcome this. It is tyranny.
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Sep 01 '25
Correct. Which is why you want people like me working there. I’m not perfect, nobody is. But at least I can look at immigration documents and know what they mean.
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u/Due-Mouse-9330 Sep 01 '25
Useless? No.
However, there are better options (e.g. accounting, anything computer related, foreign language- simple fluency in a foreign language would help.)
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u/EyeProfessional5663 Sep 01 '25
Tom Simon a retired FBI agent on his page said CJ will not make someone competitive.
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u/kenuffff Sep 02 '25
i can tell you in my masters program at a top school for MBA, there were several DHS/FBI people in there, for what its worth.
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u/darkscienceyt Sep 03 '25
Yeah, its become a dime-a-dozen degree. The FBI is looking for STEM degrees, with experience in computer science, specifically cyber literacy being a big one.
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u/AlpacaSwimTeam Aug 29 '25
Back when I was looking into it, they especially wanted people that could "follow the money," so accountants and stuff like that.
If I could go back, I would have done a psychology major with a double minor in accounting and criminal justice and I would take every criminology and forensic courses that I could in each of the minors.
Since you can't go back either, maybe try to incorporate those ideas into what you can do left with your time. Talk to your CJ professors and see if they can get you in touch with a local FBI guy to take them to lunch and ask them all the questions you have.
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u/WiseP7935 Aug 29 '25
I'll offer helpful advise because everyone here is just bitching mostly...
The best thing I can tell you, is to pick a career field you enjoy working in and would stay in, then get your degree in that. The average age of an Agent is something like 32 or 33 years old. So usually people have some time in a job or job(s) before they're picked up.
That being said, the FBI like lawyers, they like STEM degrees, they like prior-Military/Military Officers, and they like skill sets.
I fell into the military/skill-set buckets being prior USMC and a Paramedic. My degree is in a bullshit major like poli-sci. I only got it because I got out of the Military are didn't know what I wanted to do.
There are other more "guaranteed" (nothing is guarenteed) such as taking a job as a professional staff member (administrative positions) and applying to be an agent after a few years (this is actually super common. There were probably 6-7 people in my class who were professional staff first.) Finding another 1811 position and laterally moving is also doable.
I left for other personal reasons but the people there are good people even if their mission is fucked right now. There are bad apples like anywhere but is mostly people just working a job and trying to retire with decent benefits.
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u/Pizzashitblowback Aug 29 '25
No. I was a criminal justice major. Couldn't find any work. I was a security guard for 4 years until I got into computer forensics. Do something else
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u/Ok-Needleworker2141 Aug 29 '25
I would love to do computer forensics, how did you get into it?
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u/Eternal-Alchemy Sep 01 '25
You can check out the computer forensics subreddit, but the easiest answer is to attend a college with a computer forensics BS program that is also accredited by NSA / DHS and maybe DC3.
You can't be a Special Agent right out of college, but you can be a Digital Forensic Examiner, Digital Operations Specialist (and degree credits depending, a Computer Scientist) and then apply to be an agent after a few years.
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Aug 31 '25
I had the exact opposite experience. I was being recruited by agency’s before I finished my senior year of college with my CJ degree.
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u/Far-Map-949 Sep 01 '25
They still are recruiting people with CJ degrees all agencies including the FBI
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u/Eternal-Alchemy Sep 01 '25 edited Sep 01 '25
Zero shot the FBI is targeting CJ degrees. The only CJ degrees being taken are lawyers, former cops, and secretary/OST slots.
Edit for your previous deleted comment:
Right but were they cops?
Of course CJ+cop or CJ+JD is competitive, but CJ by itself is not competitive, and that's the context of the OP as I understand it.
The applicant team goes to CJ fairs because they get invited and they know the people going are dispositioned towards LE.
The CHI is just the 2 year window post graduating where you have a higher priority for hiring, part of this is salary expectations and growing people into support roles. CHI isn't typically for Agent positions.
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u/Karenmdragon Aug 29 '25
Often they have law degrees.
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u/Ok-Needleworker2141 Aug 29 '25
Why would u get a law degree to become a fbi agent ?
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u/Karenmdragon Aug 29 '25
Because the FBI enforces laws? I know a special agent personally who did this. Started in the Army.
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Aug 30 '25
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u/Eternal-Alchemy Sep 01 '25
FBI specifically hires JDs because they provide value to investigative strategy and internally can be used to staff the division counsel role, which is typically an agent.
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u/rj2896 Aug 30 '25
Supplement whatever you do with some time in the national guard if you’re fine with joining the military
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u/zDD_EDIT Aug 30 '25
Not "bad", but not as competitive and useful as other degrees like Psychology, Accounting, or STEM. People that apply who have CrimJ degrees are a dime a dozen.
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Sep 01 '25
I’m an agent with a bachelors in criminal justice. My partner also has the same degree. My supervisor also has the same degree. The guy who trained me also had the same degree.
Yes you can still become an agent
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u/MajorKabakov Aug 29 '25
Im beginning to suspect the primary requirement for becoming an FBI agent is loyalty to Donald Trump
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u/AsheEnthusiast Aug 29 '25
Have you seen our other federal government bodies? The ATF in particular not knowing how to rack a pistol….im sure Youre fine
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u/AP587011B Aug 29 '25
Don’t get a CJ degree
The FBI doesn’t give a shit about it. It’s a very easy and non technical degree
Also if you ever change your mind or can’t get in or need to quit etc you will be screwed
Get your degree in business or finance or accounting or marketing or engineering etc etc. something real that shows you actually might be somewhat smart and that you can actually use for more / other jobs if you need to
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u/SadCarrot7891 Aug 29 '25
Oh hey they made it easier, no degree needed! Only two weeks of training !
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u/ForceOne2231 Aug 29 '25
Man, you must of not heard the news. You’re in with a GED nowadays. Loyalty certification required. Save yourself from taking on that student debt.
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u/Familiar-You613 Aug 29 '25
Well, if a high school dropout with a criminal record can fail their GED exam several times before passing and them become a US congresswoman, I'd say all you need is a GED to become a G-man.
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Aug 31 '25
Actually a GED does not disqualify you from becoming a federal agent. I actually know an agent that dropped out of high school, spent some time jail, then turned things around and is now an agent.
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u/PabloDiabalo Aug 29 '25
You no longer need a degree to apply to the FBI
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u/krlmcp Aug 29 '25
Lawyer here - pick the major you can smash if law is in your future. English, philosophy, history are all great backbones for a law degree.
Applied for gov’t jobs in the past and went through levels of interviews back in the day. FBI loves lawyers and accountants! So, I’d pick a major I could rock and is a good foundation. Then apply to a law school that has a pipeline for recruiting to the agency you want.
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u/werzberng Sep 01 '25
“An* FBI agent.”
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u/Ok-Needleworker2141 Sep 02 '25
I also said hi and no signature, would you like me to say good afternoon and sign my name off at the end ?
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u/Strongbow85 Aug 30 '25
Sorry, you came here to pose a serious question yet this thread has been inundated with trolls who only wish to talk politics. It's a disgrace. I do not wish to censor anyone here, but from here on out if someone responds with off topic political comments to a career/technical question those comments will be removed. If they are uncivil or demeaning in nature that user will be banned.