CIA Internship Qualifications – Choosing the Right Path

The official Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters Careers and Employment Department recommends examining each of the CIA career paths by category or class prior to filling out an application for employment by the CIA. It notes that within each career category you will find job placements the Agency is looking to fill. Each position description includes information about the particular job, in general, and lists the minimum requirements.

There are certainly several areas that will put your application to the top:

• Life experiences, knowledge, skills, and abilities
• Educational background and degree(s)
• Work History (past & present)
• Certifications and Licenses
• Foreign Regions – language, experiences, knowledge
• Military Experience

However, applying for positions within the CIA of which you are not qualified will delay the analysis of your application and won’t increase your odds of being offered a position. If you are serious about a career with the CIA, then go about it the right way. Life within the CIA is not like the sitcoms, you do need to be qualified! And you can begin with a CIA internship.

The CIA recruits and utilizes undergraduate or graduate students from colleges and universities all across the U.S.  Students with degrees or working towards degrees in areas such as technology, physical sciences, engineering, physics, and computer sciences are often inducted for internships with the Directorate of Science and Technology. Other sectors of study such as foreign languages, foreign affairs, national security studies, and business are also considered for entrance into internship programs.

Students who pass the CIA internship qualification will then travel to Washington, DC for processing which includes medical and security handling. A Directorate of Science and Technology (DS&T) student can participate in an internship during any school semester, spring, summer, winter, fall, and the internship training period usually lasts for approximately 90 days. Prior to graduation, the intern student is required to work in the program for an average of two 60 – 90 day internships.

While a student will be placed at the CIA Headquarters, in Virginia, they will meet, work, and live with a large variety of people from across the United States. Each student is placed in an internship role in that allows them to train and enhance their skills in the area of which they are majoring, all the while experiencing first-hand the exciting roles executed by the Central Intelligence Agency.

The internship period is conducted with many of the same implementations as other jobs – health insurance, life insurance, retirement plans, and salaries based on experience and the number of tours of work duty the students has participated in with the CIA.

Initial Requirements

• Must be a US citizen
• Must be a full-time student studying  towards a degree  that should be or similar to – Engineering, Information Technology, and Physical Science
• Must be returning to school for at least one semester following the internship
• Must hold a minimum GPA of 3.0

An internship with the Central Intelligence Agency is an excellent path to take. Not only can you get first hand experience for a feel as to whether or not this is the career path you really want to take, in the internship program you will discover the mechanisms of the CIA and the various ways one can work within the agency.

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