Also called: Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent
Civilian federal agent who investigates felonies, terrorism, and espionage involving the Navy and Marine Corps.
Yes, it's the agency from the TV show, but real NCIS agents spend more time on interviews, evidence, and paperwork than gunfights. They can be stationed on aircraft carriers or overseas. The job comes with federal law enforcement retirement after 20 years.
Federal GL/GS pay plus 25% law-enforcement availability pay; estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's degree, U.S. citizenship, age limit (usually under 37), and ~6 months at FLETC.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice, Accounting, Computer Science, Foreign Languages.
Growing about average. BLS projects ~average growth for detectives and investigators; NCIS hires a few hundred agents a year.
Low risk for 10 years. Forensic and data tools speed cases; interviews, scenes and espionage work stay human.
Classes: Psychology, Biology, Government / Civics, A foreign language.
Official data: O*NET occupation 33-3021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.