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What Is it like to be a DEA agent? What degree do I need to be a DEA agent? Is being a DEA agent hard?

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Thank you comment icon I have minimal experience with this. What I do know from my perspective as a dentist who has a DEA license is that there are agents who will call doctors for various reasons. I know that because I filled out an application with an error once and received a phone call from a DEA agent on my cell phone. To answer the phone and be greeted by someone saying that they are a DEA agent is intimidating. I'm only mentioning this because it is not one of the details of the job that I would have anticipated. Apparently they can work in various areas of drug enforcement even making phone calls. Elizabeth Lambert
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Dr. James’s Answer

All special agent candidates must meet one of the following criteria to be considered for DEA Academy training:

A bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 2.95
OR

A bachelor’s degree (no minimum GPA requirement) and at least 3 years of specialized experience in any one of the following: engineering, telecommunications, accounting and auditing, piloting aircraft, captaining a sea vessel, or speaking a foreign language (Russian, French, Spanish, Balkan Languages, Nigerian Languages, Urdu, Farsi, Chinese, Mandarin, Hebrew, Arabic, or Japanese)
OR

An LL.B., master’s degree or Juris Doctor (no minimum GPA requirement)
OR

Extensive law enforcement experience in undercover work, surveillance operations, drug/narcotics related operations, or evidence collection
Once hired, recruits must complete an 18-week training program at the DEA Training Academy in Quantico, VA. After graduation, entering agents are assigned to one of four divisions:

Operations Division
Operations Support Division
Inspection Division
Intelligence Division
Minimum Requirements and Preferred Degrees for DEA Special Agents
In order to become a special agent with the DEA, candidates should meet the following minimum requirements:

Bachelor’s degree or higher (may be waived for candidates with extensive and closely related law enforcement experience)
At least 21 years of age and younger than 37
Possess a valid driver’s license
U.S. citizenship
Near normal hearing and vision
The preferred fields of study for a candidate serious about learning how to become a DEA agent:

Law (J.D. or LL.B.)
Finance
Criminal justice
Economics
Computer science
Accounting
Engineering
Sociology
Political science
Chemistry
Foreign language
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