Education

• Although there currently are no mandated educational requirements, having a college education doesn't hurt, points out Brown, who has been a criminal profiler for more than 12 years. Being a criminal profiler requires more than a basic knowledge of criminology. Some criminal profilers have at minimum a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, forensics or psychology. Others earn a dual degree in two academic disciplines, such as criminal justice and psychology. Getting a master's or doctoral degree in forensic psychology or one of the behavioral sciences can help advance the career of a criminal profiler.
  
  

Experience

• Working previously for a police department or other law enforcement agency gives a hopeful criminal profiler experience dealing with criminal investigation and crime scene analysis. An investigative or psychiatric background can be helpful as well. Pat Brown, one of the few female criminal profilers in the U.S. today, explains that experience working in the corrections system, or with victim services, or in other area related to criminal behavior offers additional insight for understanding the criminal mindset and how it works. Doing volunteer work in these and other human services jobs can get you both experience and contacts in the field.
  
  

Profiling for the FBI

• Agents who are selected to serve as profilers for the FBI generally have experience investigating crimes of a violent and sexual nature. FBI profilers must have at least three years prior experience working as an FBI special agent to qualify for a supervisory special agent position responsible for performing these duties, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. In most cases, successful candidates have up to 10 years experience working as an FBI special agent. A special agent assigned to the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime must have a minimum of a four-year college degree.
  
  

Personal Qualifications

• Forensics psychologist Dr. Richard N. Kocsis suggests that understanding human behavior is a critical factor in profiling. A profiler must have good intuition about people and not be surprised by anything individuals say or do. The ability to read people and judge their character is another key quality of a successful profiler. In addition to possessing keen intuitive intelligence, a criminal profiler must be able to competently analyze scientific and statistical data to establish a pattern of criminal behavior. To do this requires strong problem solving skills and exceptional critical thinking abilities. Profiling a criminal offender also takes patience and some expertise in interpreting crime scene data.