Also called: FDA OCI Agent, Office of Criminal Investigations Special Agent
Investigates fake medicines, tainted food, counterfeit COVID tests, and illegal online pharmacies that put people in danger.
FDA agents chase sellers of counterfeit cancer drugs, black-market weight-loss shots, and contaminated supplements. They buy products undercover online, trace shipments, execute search warrants, and build cases with federal prosecutors. Cases often cross borders and involve lab chemists confirming what's really in the pills.
Federal law enforcement pay, often including 25% availability pay, 2026 estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's degree, often in science or criminal justice; federal criminal investigator academy.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Biology, Chemistry, Criminal Justice, Pharmacy.
Growing about average. Small agency of a few hundred agents (approx.).
Low risk for 10 years. AI scans for illegal online drug sellers; undercover work, warrants and cases stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, Biology, Government.
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.