<p>Hey everyone! im new to this site so i will introduce myself. My names Jim and i am looking for advice on double majoring in the fields of Criminal Justice and Political Science. My goal is to be a federal agent or an agent with the CIA, NSA, etc. These two majors i believe are great for that cause; the criminal justice degree i want for the investigative practices and crime. The political science is because i know that law enforcement is very political and i hope to one day be very high in the rankings of officials. So my question is:</p>
<ol>
<li>How long would it take to get a Bachelors in both </li>
<li>How long would it take to get a Masters in both</li>
<li>Does anyone know of good colleges for both?</li>
</ol>
<p>I currently attend community college (cheaper), i have had a 4.0 the entire time (or near it 3.75 is my lowest). Any advice would be helpful! Thanks :)</p>
<p>Just so you know, ANY degree generally works for law enforcement and federal agencies. They want to see that you’re trainable.</p>
<p>Every LEO I’ve spoken to says that criminal justice degrees are interesting (and if it’s what you want, then go ahead and take it) but it really doesn’t apply to the real world of law enforcement. Too often they run into people who think because they’re CJ majors they know everything about law enforcement, when in fact they’re about as ignorant as a guy who just got in to the academy.</p>
<p>I’d say for the best poli sci experience you should go to school in the DC area. American University, GW University, Georgetown, UMD College Park all have good programs and because of their proximity to the nation’s capital (DC kicks ass by the way), it’s very easy to get internships with politicians, NGOs, anything really. You’re near the FBI HQ, CIA HQ, NSA HQ, and some great police departments as well.</p>
<p>^^^^^ Not for the feds, especially not the intelligence agencies OP was talking about. At the federal level, different majors are given different consideration. But they especially don’t want to see CJ/Poli Sci and other general types of majors. They want specifc skills.</p>
<p>NSA/CIA…you’re going to want to learn one of the foreign languages in high demand, right now that’s Arabic. They want to see majors that teach specific skills…accounting, foreign languages, computer science are especially valued. They do not want to see general majors like CJ and political science. If you only have a general major, do not expect to get a job with them right out of college. You will either have to get military or investigative LE or some other type of relevant experience + your degree if you do not have a specifc skill they want. That’s the nature of federal law enforcement, with agencies such as FBI.</p>
<p>CJ and political science are fine for local/county/state LE, but they won’t cut it with the feds. You need a specifc skill major or plan on getting military/other relevant experience after college before going for CIA/NSA/FBI. Those are a lot more investigative and analysts than general law enforcement. You might be ok with CJ/Poli Sci if you wanted a federal agency like Secret Service/Federal Protective/Pentagon Police/Capitol Police/DEA or others that are less invesitgations and more enforcement.</p>
<p>But would what you said work for NCIS, too? That’s where I hope to end up.</p>
<p>And I agree with what th3vault said about specialties. Agencies want to see that you have experience in areas other that just Poli Sci and the likes. Try to find a program where you can get a BA (or BS) /MA in like five years. A lot of universities have these programs, but I would say to look for a college that also matches you, not just what program you want.</p>