To work as a secret service special agent, you typically need to:
- be a US citizen;
- be between the ages of 21 and 37;
- have either a four-year college degree or three years of experience in law enforcement;
- pass a medical exam, including vision, hearing, and cardiovascular;
- have excellent eye-sight, no worse than 20/100 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20 in each eye;
- have no visible body markings such as tattoos on your head, face, necks, hand, or fingers;
- pass a drug screening;
- pass a report writing test;
- pass an extensive background investigation;
- pass a polygraph examination;
- pass an in-depth interview and entrance exam;
- possess a current valid driver's license; and
- obtain top secret clearance.
Uniformed division officers must pass the Police Officer Selection Test (POST).
Education after high school
In order to qualify for a higher level position, you need to have a four-year college degree, or three years of experience in law enforcement or criminal investigative fields. Make sure to take classes in pre-law, criminal justice, law enforcement, police science, and criminology while working towards your degree. You can start at an even higher level position if you have a master's degree or PhD.
On-the-job training
After being hired, special agents spend three months training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. This is called the Criminal Investigator Training Program, and provides a general foundation in criminal law and investigative techniques.
If you've made it this far, you spend the next 17 weeks training in Laurel, Maryland. This Special Agent Training Course focuses on specific Secret Service policies and procedures. You are trained about different types of financial criminal investigation, emergency medicine, marksmanship, and physical protection techniques.
Secret service agents continue to receive training throughout their careers. This might be firearms requalification or emergency medicine refresher courses.
Uniformed division officers also go through training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. This lasts 12 weeks. After that, they spend another 13 weeks in a specialized training at a training center outside of Washington, DC. Training includes firearms, police procedures, physical fitness, criminal law, first aid, laws of arrest, and much more.