How to Become a Prosecutor
Updated October 9, 2026
Becoming a prosecutor typically takes about seven years of full-time higher education: a bachelor’s degree, then three years of law school. After that, you still have to meet the attorney-licensing and admission requirements in the jurisdiction where you plan to practice before you can apply for a prosecutor job at the federal, state, or local level.
Every prosecutor represents the government, not a client who’s paying the bill—a distinction that puts a different kind of pressure on every decision you make, because the public is watching who gets charged and who doesn’t. Getting here starts with law school, followed by the licensing and admission process for the jurisdiction where you want to practice. Here’s the path, in the order you’ll actually walk it.
What Is a Prosecutor?
A prosecutor is a government attorney who brings criminal charges and argues them in court, on behalf of the public rather than any individual victim. You’ll decide which cases move forward, what charges to file, and whether to offer a plea deal. Those are decisions with real consequences for the accused and for public safety. You’ll go head-to-head with defense attorneys, who represent the accused. Not every prosecutor works the same beat. Here’s how the job splits by level of government.
U.S. Attorney / Assistant U.S. Attorney
Only 94 people in the country hold the title U.S. Attorney, one for each federal judicial district—fewer than the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate. Each one is a presidential appointee who runs the office, while a staff of assistant U.S. attorneys (AUSAs) handles the actual trial work: public corruption, drug trafficking, and white-collar crime, reporting up through the U.S. Attorney General at the Department of Justice. DOJ vacancy announcements for AUSA positions typically call for several years of litigation experience already in hand, so this generally isn’t a job a new law school graduate walks straight into.
District Attorney
State and local prosecutors go by different titles depending on the state and the level of government: district attorney, county attorney, state’s attorney, commonwealth’s attorney, or county prosecutor, among others. Whatever the title, these offices handle the overwhelming majority of America’s criminal cases, and larger ones often split into divisions, such as misdemeanors, felonies, trials, and appeals. Your day-to-day will look different depending on which division you land in.
Special Counsel
The federal independent-counsel law that once governed outside investigations of high-ranking officials expired in 1999. Today, the Attorney General can instead appoint a Special Counsel under Department of Justice regulations (28 C.F.R. Part 600) when investigating a person or matter through a regular U.S. Attorney’s Office or DOJ division would present a conflict of interest, or other extraordinary circumstances exist, and the public interest favors bringing in someone from outside the government to handle it. Special Counsel investigations are rare and tend to draw intense public scrutiny, but they exist as a check on the idea that no one, including the people who run the system, is above the law.
What Does a Prosecutor Actually Do?
Before a case gets anywhere near a jury, prosecutors coordinate with police officers and comb through arrest reports to decide whether there’s enough evidence to file charges. If there is, you’ll build that evidence into either a plea offer or a case you’re ready to take to trial.
Preliminary Hearing
When a defendant pleads not guilty, many jurisdictions hold a preliminary hearing: a shorter, judge-only proceeding where both sides can present evidence and call witnesses to establish whether there’s enough for a trial. Procedures vary significantly by state, and some jurisdictions skip the prelim in favor of a grand jury indictment, or hold one only if the defense requests it. At the federal level specifically, prelims generally have to happen within 14 days if the defendant is in custody, or 21 days if they’re out on bail. Check your own jurisdiction’s rules rather than assuming the federal timeline applies everywhere.
This is where prosecutorial discretion comes in: you decide whether to charge everything the defendant was arrested for, file reduced charges, or drop the case. That discretion is one of the most consequential powers in the job, and one of the most scrutinized.
Trying a Case in Court
If a case goes to trial, you have to convince a judge or jury of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. That standard applies to a criminal conviction at trial specifically, not to every decision you make along the way. A bailiff keeps order in the courtroom throughout, but the burden of proof is entirely on you. To get there, prosecutors have to:
How Much Does a Prosecutor Make?
Prosecutor pay depends heavily on which level of government you work for and where. The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t track “prosecutor” as its own occupation. It falls under the broader Lawyers category (SOC 23-1011), which carried a national median wage of $159,670 as of May 2025, with the lowest 10% earning under $78,360 and the top 10% over $351,600. The BLS projects 5% employment growth for lawyers from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 28,700 openings a year nationwide. That figure covers every type of lawyer, not prosecutors specifically, so read it as general context for the legal field rather than a prosecutor-specific forecast.
Federal assistant U.S. attorneys are paid on a tiered pay scale set by the Department of Justice, with rates that vary by experience level and location.
Steps to Become a Prosecutor
Becoming a prosecutor means building three credentials in order: a bachelor’s degree, a law degree, and admission to practice law in the jurisdiction where you intend to work. Here’s each step.
Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Start with an accredited four-year degree. Pre-law isn’t a requirement. History, political science, business, and economics are the most common majors among future prosecutors, but law schools weigh your GPA and LSAT score more heavily than your major.
Take the LSAT
Most law schools require applicants to submit a score from the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) as part of admissions, though individual schools set their own testing policies, and some accept alternatives like the GRE. Since August 2024, the LSAT has consisted of a four-section, multiple-choice test: two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one scored Reading Comprehension section, and one unscored experimental section, plus a separately administered written component called LSAT Argumentative Writing. The test no longer includes the Analytical Reasoning (“Logic Games”) section that was part of it for more than 40 years.
Go to Law School
Most states require a law degree from a school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) as part of their admission requirements, though eligibility for graduates of non-ABA-accredited schools varies by jurisdiction. Check with the bar-admission authority where you plan to practice rather than assuming ABA accreditation is a universal rule. Law school traditionally takes three years to complete, although some schools now offer two-year tracks. Most programs are broken down into first-year, introductory coursework, followed by upper-level study.
Classes include constitutional law, ethics, property law, criminal law, contract law, the lawyer-client relationship, and civil procedure. Upon completing law school, you’ll be awarded a Juris Doctor degree, the highest law degree in the United States.
Meet Your Jurisdiction’s Admission Requirements
Attorney licensing is handled jurisdiction by jurisdiction, not nationally. Most states require passing a bar examination as part of admission to practice, along with a character-and-fitness review and other requirements that vary by state. Exam format, components, and passing scores differ by jurisdiction, and several states are in the process of transitioning to the new NextGen Uniform Bar Exam, so check the specific requirements where you plan to work rather than assuming a single national format applies. Passing the exam is one part of a jurisdiction’s full admission process, not the only step.
Gain Experience
Jobs in a prosecutor’s office are limited and competitive. To land one, you’ll likely have to gain experience outside the classroom. The summers during law school present an opportunity to seek internships or seasonal work. You might work in a local prosecutor’s office or another legal office, such as that of a public defender, who is often the prosecutor’s opponent in court. You should also observe court proceedings and seek out opportunities in U.S. attorney offices if the federal track interests you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a prosecutor?
Plan on roughly seven years of full-time higher education: four years for a bachelor’s degree and three years of law school. After that, how quickly you land a prosecutor job depends on your jurisdiction’s admission process and the local job market.
Do I need a specific undergraduate major to become a prosecutor?
No. Law schools don’t require a pre-law major. History, political science, economics, and business are common choices, but admissions committees weigh your GPA and LSAT score more heavily than your major.
What’s the difference between a prosecutor and a defense attorney?
A prosecutor represents the government and argues for conviction. A defense attorney represents the accused and argues against it. They’re on opposite sides of the same case, and most prosecutors will face former classmates or colleagues across the courtroom at some point.
How much do prosecutors get paid?
The BLS doesn’t track prosecutor pay specifically; it’s folded into the broader Lawyers category, which had a $159,670 national median wage in May 2025. Pay at the state and local level varies by jurisdiction and experience. Federal assistant U.S. attorneys are paid on a tiered scale set by the Department of Justice that varies by experience and location.
Can I become a prosecutor without law school?
No standard path exists around it. Prosecutors generally must be licensed attorneys, which means a law degree and meeting the admission requirements of the jurisdiction where they practice. Some other criminal justice careers accept an associate or bachelor’s degree instead, but prosecution isn’t one of them.
Key Takeaways
- Typically about seven years of full-time higher education – a bachelor’s degree, then law school, before you can even apply for admission to practice.
- The job splits by level of government – U.S. Attorney/AUSA at the federal level, differently titled offices (district attorney, county attorney, and others) at the state and local level, and rare Special Counsel appointments at the top.
- Prosecutorial discretion is the job’s real power – deciding whether to charge, what to charge, and whether to offer a plea.
- Pay isn’t tracked separately by BLS – prosecutors fall under the broader Lawyers category ($159,670 national median, May 2025); federal AUSA pay follows its own DOJ scale.
- Attorney licensing is mandatory and jurisdiction-specific – a law degree and admission to practice in your jurisdiction aren’t optional, whatever path you take to get there.
A fair number of judges started their careers as prosecutors. If the bench is further down the road you’re imagining, here’s what that path looks like from where you’re standing now.
