Getting a master’s degree can open up numerous opportunities for you. This advanced degree gives you the skills, knowledge, and experience you need to make a promising career. Therefore, if you opt to get a master’s degree in emergency management and homeland security, you have a fruitful career ahead of you.
A master’s degree in emergency management and homeland security prepares you as a professional to deal with complex management situations ranging from cybersecurity and natural hazards. But like any educational qualification, it’s natural to second guess yourself and wonder if you’re making the right decision for yourself. Therefore to help you comprehend why getting a master’s in emergency management and homeland security is a good choice for you, here’s what you need to know:
What is Emergency Management and Homeland Security?
Emergency management and homeland security are two sides of the same coin. Both these professions deal with managing hazards that impact the population, such as natural disasters, terrorism, and cyberattacks. If you choose to pursue this career, you’ll be an active part of managing how communities respond to threats, ensuring that you have a structured plan in place to prevent these threats, and developing a system to stop future events from happening.
Since your work is highly technical and requires a deep understanding of how emergency management works, you need to work your way to a post-grad degree at least. A bachelor is not enough to prepare for the role you’re about to undertake. Therefore, once you have your undergrad in emergency management or any closely related field, try to get a masters in emergency management and homeland security.
On a rudimentary level, your work involves being strategic, anticipating threats, coordinating emergency response, and promoting public safety. All of these are challenging to do and often require immense planning, thinking, and deciphering. So, if you’re quick on your feet, have the discipline to come up with long-term plans, and are dedicated to minimizing any losses these disasters can cause, then you should look into this profession.
Why Is Pursuing a Master’s Degree Worth It?
A master’s degree in emergency management and homeland security will give you specific skills and concepts to shape you into a professional. Here’s a look into some of them:
- You Get To Learn From Current Events
There’s a difference between learning about events on paper and using real-life experiences to understand their significance. As your job has everything to do with emergency management and homeland security, you will get a chance to revisit events that happened, explore, analyze, and study them to comprehend their magnitude. For instance, you may learn the precise method involved in cyber hacking and how homeland security tracks, identifies, and curbs these attacks.
- The Coursework is Highly Specific
Your degree will allow you to study tailored coursework instead of getting a generalized idea of your field. For example, the homeland security program you choose can walk you through the various subfields that homeland security deals with. This means if you pursue specific coursework in the public sector, you will learn how emergency management in the public sector works. This involves how the budget is allocated, what types of threats can impact the population, and the best way to intervene according to the situation. Likewise, studying constitutional law and ethics teaches you where troubles arise while handling public security issues.
- You Get An Edge Over Other Applicants
Choosing to get a master’s degree has a fraction of influence over your career. Following current trends, applicants with graduate-level degrees are becoming more sought after than those with a bachelor’s degree. Looking at Homeland Security alone, if you want to use your degree to specialize in this sector, most employers are looking for applicants with a master’s degree. According to Burning Glass, more than 30% of the jobs posted by FEMA and DHS in 2020 listed having a master’s degree as a prerequisite for securing a job. Therefore if you’re looking to get ahead of the competition and make a name for yourself, you should acquire a master’s degree.
- Various Career Openings Align For You
Having this interdisciplinary master can make various career choices available for you. Your degree allows you to be involved in many sectors, including:
- Immigration and Travel Security
Your job will be strictly border protection. You’ll monitor who is entering and leaving the United States and keep tabs on the vehicles crossing the border to ensure they’re not transporting contraband. Likewise, you have to be vigilant about analyzing every immigrant, ensuring they don’t have a criminal record or forged documents to gain access to the United States. But if you want an office job, you can work as a TSA administrative officer instead of minding the borders.
- Law Enforcement
Holding a master’s degree entails you can become a more specialized type of law enforcement agent. Since you’ll undergo intensive training, you can pursue careers like becoming a special agent or a criminal investigator. Special agents offer their services to highly esteemed government officials like the president or Vice President. You’ll be directly responsible for securing the premises and preventing possible attacks. While as a criminal investigator, you’ll work more as a detective than a police officer. The skills you pick from your degree, such as analysis, deduction, and strategizing, will help you solve major cases.
- Emergency Management Director
If you have a knack for working in upper management and know how to respond well to emergencies, then go for an Emergency Management Director position. Primarily your job may be in the public sector, as you will be responsible for preparing emergency plans, responding to disasters, and strategizing against terror-related incidents. You will also be needed to outline how the public should be instructed, guided, and educated on what they should do during any emergency to ensure their safety.
Final Thoughts
Consider getting a master’s If you plan on venturing into emergency management and homeland security. You have a lucrative career ahead of you. This degree is about mitigating disasters and finding a solution during emergencies. It is also deeply involved in preventing severe security threats from escalating. Hence, if you want to be on the frontlines of planning, strategizing, and tackling issues that impact the sanctity of your country, then you’ll fit in here just fine.
