Law and public service - Leadership, policy and urban planning

This master’s concentration incorporates a range of holistic perspectives to help you become a better collaborator, problem-solver and leader within law enforcement administration. This program encourages you to investigate the underlying causes of crime. You’ll also learn how to think through strategies to prevent and reduce crime and create strong and resilient communities.

Courses provide a solid foundation in data analysis, organizational leadership, public policy and administration. With these skills, you’ll be prepared to be a positive agent of change within police departments and law enforcement agencies.

What is law enforcement administration? Do I need a master's degree for executive roles?

Law enforcement administration organizes and ensures police departments operate according to standards and legal requirements. Administering a police department or other emergency service unit requires in-depth knowledge of the fields of law, public service and emergency management. It also requires a strong ability to understand the needs of your staff and community.

If you’re looking to lead in law enforcement administration, a law enforcement degree will help you gain the skills and experience needed to compete with other qualified candidates for the job.

In this master’s degree in public safety leadership and administration with a concentration in executive fire administration, you’ll learn to navigate fire and emergency services as a manager to reduce risk and preserve the safety of the communities your fire services division protects. You’ll also study a variety of topics, such as:

• Emergency services operations analysis.
• Fire and emergency services innovation.
• Function and impact of budgeting and finance.
• Leadership and program evaluation.

How is this master's in fire administration different from a fire science degree?

Prepare to become an agent of positive change within a fire service department. This program differs from a traditional fire science degree because of its specialization in administration and leadership. In this program, you’ll gain the skills needed to effectively organize and lead a team in a fire department, including public policy and administration, data analysis and organizational leadership. 

Will this master's degree prepare me to be a fire chief?

Upon completion of this program, you’ll be armed with the knowledge and skills needed to become a senior leader in the fire service, which includes the role of fire chief. Public safety administration leaders manage and coordinate the delivery of emergency response services. These professionals work behind the scenes to enable fire, police and other crisis response workers to provide effective, life-saving support to communities in need. 

Emergency medical services (EMS) is the practice of providing acute medical care to people outside of a hospital setting. EMS professionals, such as paramedics or EMS administrators, organize, prepare for and provide emergency health care in critical situations.

This program emphasizes the present-day objectives of emergency medical care, including mobile health care delivery and community paramedicine. Throughout this program, you’ll learn how to implement solutions and strategies to improve the patient care experience in mobile integrated health care and design emergency medical systems that better serve your community. Upon graduation, you’ll be in a position to compete for leadership employment opportunities in public, private and nonprofit EMS agencies or explore other opportunities in hospitals and behavioral and social service agencies.

Is this program similar to a master’s in paramedicine?

While this master’s degree offers courses in paramedicine through the EMS concentration, coursework also features general public safety leadership and administration teachings. For this reason, this program isn’t similar to a master’s solely focusing on paramedicine.

Who’s a good candidate for this EMS master’s degree concentration?

This online EMS master’s degree concentration is ideal for students interested in entrepreneurial and leadership roles in emergency care systems, such as administering emergency teams and organizations within mobile integrated health care.

It’s important to note that this program doesn’t offer training to become a paramedic and is designed for students who have existing experience within the field.

This program emphasizes skills that prepare you to positively influence the mission of an organization and the community it supports. By earning a master’s in nonprofit leadership and management, you can pursue a variety of high-demand roles in leadership across the nonprofit sector. This MNLM also prepares you for government positions or roles within a commercial organization that works collaboratively with nonprofits. Careers in nonprofit management can span virtually all industries, including arts and culture, education, environment, animals, healthcare, human services, foreign affairs, research and religion.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for social and community service managers is projected to grow 8% from 2023 to 2033, which is faster than average for all occupations. Another role this program prepares you for, public relations and fundraising managers, earned a median annual wage of $130,480 in May 2023, according to the BLS.

The nonprofit leadership and management skills you’ll gain

This master's degree allows you to build well-rounded knowledge and abilities in nonprofit management and leadership. In your coursework, you’ll develop skills in many areas that support the success of nonprofit groups, such as:

• Advocacy.
• Fiscal management.
• Fundraising.
• Governance in nonprofit organizations.
• Leadership skills.
• Management of human resources.
• Nonprofit organization management.
• Program development.
• Volunteer management.

Other skills that translate directly into career paths are financial management, executive management and board governance, and program management and evaluation. Nonprofits are constantly seeking trained and experienced people with these competencies.

Who’s a good candidate for this program?

This program builds on management fundamentals while incorporating an emphasis on nonprofit organizations to help you develop specialized leadership knowledge. The ideal candidate for this program could be working in the nonprofit sector looking to advance in their role, or someone looking to enhance their nonprofit work experience. In this program, you’ll sharpen your abilities, develop new competencies and network with colleagues working throughout the nonprofit sector.

Public safety administration involves managing public resources and people to anticipate and respond to events that threaten the health and welfare of the general public. In this program, you'll develop the strategic mindset and practical skills to guide public safety agencies through both daily operations and transformational change.

Courses emphasize the skills needed to manage and coordinate emergency response services. You’ll also become prepared to work behind the scenes to ensure fire, police and other crisis response teams have the resources and support to deliver lifesaving assistance to communities in need.

Tailor your studies to fit your career goals

This program offers flexibility, allowing you to explore the field broadly or specialize in your studies. If you're passionate about a specific area of public safety administration, you can customize your learning path by pursuing one of ASU’s online concentrations, such as:

• Emergency medical services – mobile integrated healthcare
  • Prepares professionals to lead emergency response teams, manage crisis situations and develop strategies for community resilience.
• Executive fire administration
  • Focuses on developing advanced leadership skills for experienced fire service professionals, including expanding management and decision-making abilities to enhance fire service operations and community safety.
• Executive police administration
  • Equips senior police officers for top leadership roles, emphasizing advanced strategies in police management and operational oversight.