High School
The minimum educational requirement for anyone wishing to train as a border patrol agent is a high school diploma, although a bachelor's degree is preferred. If you are still in high school, take geography, social studies, and government courses. This will help give you a general background for the field. Take a foreign language class, specifically, Spanish; fluency in this language will give you an advantage over other job applicants.
Postsecondary Training
College majors in criminal justice, law, and sociology are highly regarded as preparation for this field, as is previous military training or law enforcement experience. Knowledge of Spanish and other languages is also helpful.
Border patrol agent trainees participate in a 58-day training course at the Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, New Mexico. Courses include Immigration and Nationality Law; Criminal Law and Statutory Authority; Spanish; Border Patrol Operations; Care and Use of Firearms; Physical Training; Operation of Motor Vehicles; Anti-Terrorism Training; Communications; Ethics and Conduct; Report Writing; Introduction to Computers; Fingerprinting; and Constitutional Law. Those who are not fluent in Spanish must complete an additional 40 days of language training.
Border patrol agent and officer candidates must pass some basic physical fitness tests in order to be accepted into the border patrol. Consequently, you should engage in some regular cardiovascular exercise and strength training to prepare yourself for the physical demands of these tests and the job itself.
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