What degree that might that be anyway? Master of Arts of Genital Touching? Bachelor of Beeping Stick Sciences? I don't think there's any degree that adds anything to what TSA is doing.
Maybe some form of degree involving psychology? If your job is to find certain types of people, understanding how and why we do what we do might be of some help.
But their job is not to profile. Their job is to not let the nail clippers pass. Profiling in not PC, and would lead their superiors in trouble with the press. If they were allowed to profile, we won't hear any stories about five year old girls being groped and ninety year old grandmas given strip searches because their dentures looked suspicious. Judging from their actions, they have very little leeway in deciding what is dangerous and what is not. They never talk to people, never make contact with them for more than a split second, and mostly rely purely on either technology or good old groping. You do not need psychology degree for that.
I observed them in act many times and read multiple articles on the topic, including inside accounts of TSA trainees, opinions of various security professionals and other press coverage regarding TSA. Then I thought about it and arrived at some conclusions.
I do not think I have "so much" insight - it's a regular awareness of the world surrounding us. If you have more insight, you are most welcome to share and provide the missing information, more information is always better.
Business Administration, Psychology, Sociology, Organizational Management (like business), Criminal Justice (they do like this one), or even a generic AA, AS, AAS or BA in liberal arts would help.
How would any of that help? TSA workers are not allowed to administer anything and do not have power of arrest (they supposed to call law enforcement if somebody needs to be arrested). BA in liberal arts may help if they want to discuss Renaissance music on a slow shift, but in their direct responsibilities it would be completely useless.
As for psychology, you don't need major insights in human psychology to look at naked scanner pictures, and profiling is either completely taboo for political correctness reasons or in case it is still secretly allowed it is not done by rank TSA workers, for the same reasons.
The previous poster was most likely referring to the critical thinking and reasoning skills that generally come with a degree (though many possess them without going to college), not the major itself.
Correct. Additionally I was thinking of what they'd want in a promotable employee.
I am no fan of the TSA but I recognize that TSA employees, like employees of any other organization, can always do their jobs better and bring educated perspectives to the various situations they encounter.
Even a basic degree of law enforcement, military, or counterterrorist training would help. You'd hope airport security would require at least the same level of training as an ordinary beat cop, and in a lot of places they need a 2 or 4 year degree, usually in criminal justice.
