CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) agents in Mississippi work closely with other federal, state and sometimes local law enforcement agencies in their duties of gathering intelligence from a myriad of sources. Not only must CIA agents in Mississippi gather this intelligence, they must also make sense of it and use it to help the highest officials of the U.S. government develop appropriate policies.
Agencies with which CIA agents in Mississippi may collaborate include:
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation
- The Mississippi Department of Homeland Security
- The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office
- Mississippi Highway Patrol
- Mississippi Bureau of Investigation
- Mississippi Department of Transportation Office of Law Enforcement
How to Become a Core Collector with the CIA in Mississippi
In Mississippi, the CIA’s National Clandestine Service Division offers two separate entry-level placement options for individuals interested in pursuing a career as a Core Collector. The two positions include the Professional Trainee Program (PT) and the Clandestine Service Program (CST).
- PT Program: Designed for applicants between 21 and 25 who have a Bachelor’s degree but lack appropriate work experience.
- CST Program: Designed for applicants between 26 and 35 who have a Bachelor’s degree or higher and have multiple years of military or work experience.
The PT and CST Programs have a number of similar qualifications that must be met for individuals to be considered for the position, including:
Academic Requirements
Applicants should have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, with preference given to those in the following fields:
- Biological engineering
- Chemical engineering
- Economics
- Finance
- International business
- International relations
- Nuclear science
- Physical science
Each applicant should also have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Career Aptitude Requirements
Candidates should be interested in foreign affairs, superior communication skills and have strong interpersonal skills. Additionally, applicants should be able to process information accurately and quickly. They should be capable of working productively on their own or as part of an investigative team.
Multilingualism, Foreign Knowledge, International Travel Experience
Each applicant should have previous residency internationally, strong understanding of foreign countries and be proficient in a second language, with preference given to:
- Korean
- Kurdish
- Chinese
- Arabic
- Dari
- Indonesia
- Pashto
- Persian
- Russian
- Turkish
- Urdu
- Somali
Meeting the Prerequisites for CIA Special Agent Jobs in Mississippi
Standard Requirements – Fundamental requirements that must be met by applicants for all CIA jobs in Mississippi include (but are not limited to):
- U.S. citizenship
- 18 years of age or older
- Pass a drug test and have no history of drug use in the past year
- Pass a physical exam
- Pass a psychological exam
- Pass a background check
- Pass a polygraph exam
Education and Experience Prerequisites – All CIA agents in Mississippi must hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. This degree may be from any discipline. Additionally, CIA agents need to have at least three years of experience working in the criminal investigation/law enforcement area.
CIA Student Opportunities in Mississippi – Mississippi State University offers students the opportunity to apply for CIA summer internships. The CIA offers internships within all four directorates – Directorate of Science and Technology; Directorate of Intelligence; Directorate of Support; and National Clandestine Service. Students from all majors are invited to apply, as long as they meet these qualifications:
- Are U.S. citizens
- Have at least a 3.0 GPA
- Are willing to relocate to Washington, D.C. for the internship
Students are advised to apply by March 30 for a summer internship 12 months in advance.
Other CIA opportunities for Mississippi students include undergraduate and graduate studies in all four directorates. Scholarship programs are available within each directorate as well.
Training Requirements – Many new CIA agents in Mississippi will already have completed the first part of mandatory training for new agents, with their experience in criminal investigation or law enforcement. This is the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) held at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Georgia. Academic and physical trainings are conducted here, covering the basic skills necessary of new CIA agents in Mississippi. The training lasts approximately two months.
Former CIA Analyst Speaks in Mississippi
A former CIA analyst who played a large role in taking down Osama Bin Laden recently gave a free public address in Oxford at the University of Mississippi’s Center for Intelligence and Security Studies. Cynthia Storer offered information on her job as an analyst and how she gathered information from various sources, and then used analytical thinking to put that information together and help to find and kill Bin Laden.
She noted, “It’s like someone hands you a bunch of car parts and asks you to figure out what the parts are for. A CIA analyst takes the parts, starts building and determines that it’s a car.” Her work as a CIA analyst has been highlighted in the documentary “Manhunt: The Search for Bin Laden.” The character Maya in the movie “Zero Dark Thirty” was also loosely based on her and other CIA agents.