Federal Jobs and college GPA???

[UT9902]

I know the secret service has a 3.0 minimum for your college gpa to be considered for hiring, but others like the FBI do not. My question is say that you have all the necessary tools, such as a perfectly clean background, right academic crudentials, solid work experience, language experience, etc but you have a 2.8 gpa..Would the secret service really not hire someone because of that?? As for the FBI, how much of a role does your college gpa come into effect for the SA position?

[OEFvet83]

I can't answer your question about GPA and getting hired but I know from experience that having above a 3.0 will help you qualify at a higher GS or GL level because they consider that "Superior Academic Achievement".

[a cashew]

USSS does not have a minimum GPA level

DEA does.

[ICEAGENT]

There is no federal law enforcement agency that I am aware of that has an absolute GPA requirement. The DEA's requirement is only for people with a college degree and no other experience. If you have certain prior experience you don't have to have a minimum GPA.

It is impossible to know how much weight GPA carries in the hiring decision. In my opinion, while it certainly can't hurt to have great grades, I would think experience and/or unique special skills are the biggest factors.

[a cashew]

DEA: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/job/agent/bef_quiz.html

Bachelor's degree with a 2.95 GPA or a Masters Degree completed one full academic year of graduate level education or law school in any one of the following disciplines:

* Criminal Justice
* Police Science
* Finance
* Economics
* Accounting
* Computer Sciences/Information Systems
* Telecommunications/Electrical/Mechanical Engineering
* Political Science
* Psychology
* Sociology
* Chemistry
* Any of the following foreign languages (note: fluency will be verified)
o Spanish
o French
o Russian
o Hebrew
o Arabic
o Dialects of Nigerian Languages
o Chinese/Mandarin
o Japanese

[StudChris]

DEA: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/job/agent/bef_quiz.html

Bachelor's degree with a 2.95 GPA or a Masters Degree completed one full academic year of graduate level education or law school in any one of the following disciplines:

* Criminal Justice
* Police Science
* Finance
* Economics
* Accounting
* Computer Sciences/Information Systems
* Telecommunications/Electrical/Mechanical Engineering
* Political Science
* Psychology
* Sociology
* Chemistry
* Any of the following foreign languages (note: fluency will be verified)
o Spanish
o French
o Russian
o Hebrew
o Arabic
o Dialects of Nigerian Languages
o Chinese/Mandarin
o Japanese


OR


Investigative experience.

[ICEAGENT]

Read a little closer, on that eligibility quiz you need one of the four things. If you don't have the first option (the part that you posted) you can qualify with prior narcotics experience OR 3 years of experience and one of the listed special skills and a BA (specifically says no GPA requirement) OR a J.D. and prosecutorial experience.

Basically, you only need the 2.95 if you are applying straight from college. If you don't have the 2.95 you need experience or a law degree.

The second option (prior narcotics experience) is interesting because it doesn't technically require a degree. I would fathom that they included this option so they can hire TFO's that they like who don't have the degree.

Also interesting is that the website doesn't exactly say the MINIMUM qualifications, it states the qualifications that make you most qualified.

[Kimble]

Basically, you only need the 2.95 if you are applying straight from college. If you don't have the 2.95 you need experience or a law degree.
Just goes to show, if you want to be an investigator for a career, might not hurt to know how to investigate thoroughly. :cool:

[ICEAGENT]

Just to continue flagellating the expired equine a little longer, a careful read of the first option seems to reveal that, even if you don't have the 2.95, if you pick up a masters, one full year of graduate school or a law degree you can still answer "yes" to that option. Which makes me wonder why they included option four, which is a law degree and prosecutorial experience. If you can qualify under option one with just a law degree why did they include that option?

My head hurts. :eek:

[GreenLine]

As for the FBI, how much of a role does your college gpa come into effect for the SA position?

I won't speak for the FBI, but my personal opinion is that if I look at an application and someone has a 2.8, they should have other factors at play - like having to simultaneously work full time to pay their way through, take care of a wife and kid, or have the degree in a subject that's fairly academically challenging, or from a school that is not a walk in the park to graduate from. Otherwise, I don't think it would be a penalty for that person, per se, but it won't help you any.

Having a solid GPA (and probably the honor society memberships that come with it) is a chance to say something positive about yourself right off the bat, normally before they get into the meat of your application. As competitive as jobs are, I think it's an opportunity that people should make every attempt not to squander. As I said, if you don't make a 3.0, it may not hurt you, but I don't see it pushing you ahead of the pack. And when so many applicants can get a 3.0, people with those GPA's may make yours look like a detriment, even though it isn't.