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Non-Traditional Degrees for Law Enforcement

Degrees such as Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, and Forensic Science seem like the logical choice for a planned career in law enforcement, but they’re not the only choice, and sometimes may not even be the best option.

Many law enforcement agencies, federal investigative agencies in particular, are involved in very complex investigations every day of the year -investigations that cannot be solved without a specific expertise. Agencies such as the FBI and Secret Service have identified the following disciplines as providing job applicants with critical skills:

Finance / Accounting

Most white collar crimes that federal agencies investigate involve financial transactions. Agents with degrees and backgrounds in finance are relied upon to follow money trails that can identify additional suspects and organizations in crimes, and to gather evidence to help prosecutors build cases.

Foreign Languages

Agents from the biggest federal agencies are now stationed in over 100 countries around the world full time. Coupled with the fact that there are millions of citizens and non-citizens in America who speak foreign languages, knowledge of a foreign language is extremely desirable.

Information Technology

Today’s criminals rely on computers and the Internet for everything – including committing very serious crimes. Rogue hackers and organized crime, not to mention sexual predators, all pose a very real and serious threat to American citizens every day. Special agents with knowledge of computer science, computer engineering, and Internet technologies are becoming as critical today as agents who specialize in solving murders.

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