Seven Jobs You Can Do with a Degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Emergency Management and Homeland Security (EMHS) is an interdisciplinary department at the University at Albany with 16 full-time faculty conducting research and teaching on risk management, disasters, and security.
By "risks," I mean those from adversarial threats (e.g., criminals, terrorists, hackers, etc.), natural hazards (hurricanes, earthquakes, pandemics), and human-induced hazards (think: train derailments, bridge collapses, etc.). In short, we teach about how to handle the effects of bad actors and bad things on a national scale.
We offer a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and a graduate certificate that focus on risk prevention, protection, preparedness, response, and recovery.
But what careers can graduates pursue? That’s what this blog post is about. To simplify, I'll cover seven broad job categories:
- Intelligence Analysts
- Emergency Managers
- Agents, Officers, and Investigators
- Public Information Officers
- Security Risk Analysts
- Business Continuity Managers
- Consultants
Let’s dive into each one:
Intelligence Analysts analyze information on threats, such as terrorism, crime, and other security threats, to help government and private sector leaders make informed decisions. Our EMHS Master of Science offers a three-course intelligence analysis concentration and hands-on learning through faculty-led research labs on topics like psychological profiling foreign leaders and using public data to assess security threats.
This role suits curious individuals who love learning and analysis, excel at writing and public speaking, and can clearly communicate findings to decision-makers.
Intelligence analysis is a growing field with a median salary of $90,000 and a projected 5% growth rate. Graduates find opportunities at all government levels and in the private sector. Beyond the Intelligence Community and local jobs with organizations like the New York State Police (NYSP) and New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Major League Baseball, and United Airlines increasingly hire intelligence analysts to assess operational threats.
Emergency Managers identify relevant hazards and disasters, develop and implement plans to address threats, and coordinate preparedness and response efforts. Students with an interest in working in the public sector could work for a municipality, county, or the federal government as an emergency planner, director of emergency management, logistics specialist, community engagement specialist, mitigation or recovery lead, or a director of training, for example.
There are also career opportunities for students interested in firefighting and law enforcement. Private, nonprofit, and nongovernmental organizations also hire emergency managers to oversee disaster response operations. For example, many large businesses like the Walt Disney Corporation and most major hospitals have emergency managers that oversee their risk analyses and emergency response operations.
Agents, Officers, and Investigators protect the country from threats and transnational crime by gathering intelligence, enforcing laws, and working with agencies to secure borders, disrupt crime, address fraud, and prevent attacks. This can include criminal investigation, civil and regulatory investigation, and commercial fraud and crime investigation.
This career attracts action-oriented individuals with a passion for public service. These are jobs for people who want to be out in the community and field, engaging in investigations, rather than conducting research and analytic work.
This job role goes by a variety of titles so let’s focus on one to get an idea of job growth and salary. According to College Board, police officers can expect a median salary of $72,000 and 5 percent job growth. Students pursuing this job role work in federal law enforcement agencies, state law enforcement agencies, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as in various kinds of civil and commercial investigation.
- Public Information Officers communicate with the public during emergencies to share information from key stakeholders. Individuals in this position write press releases for government or private entities, respond to media requests, and manage the social media presence for their employer. They also often lead public education efforts to ensure the public understands the hazards they may face and are prepared to respond in the case of a disaster. As is the case with emergency managers, many Public Information Officers work for local, state, and the federal government, but many others also find career opportunities in the private and nonprofit sectors.
Security Risk Analysts assess threats like financial loss, fraud, theft, or cyberattacks to help businesses and governments make informed decisions. While intelligence analysts typically focus on threats, security risk analysts take a more holistic view including vulnerabilities and consequences of risks, and policies and programs to respond to such risks.
Our EMHS Master of Science offers a Security Risk Analysis concentration to prepare students. We also host the Center for Advanced Red Teaming, a unique research center that hones the art and science of red teaming—an essential tool for anticipating adversaries’ actions.
Risk analysts who focus on cyber security earn, according to some estimates, a low six figures median salary, and jobs in fields like loss prevention and corporate security are increasingly important to all sorts of organizations. Compliance officers have a median salary of $75,000 with 5% job growth expected.
Our graduates secure positions in the private sector and all levels of government, particularly with the Department of Homeland Security, and various component agencies that are part of the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Business Continuity Managers ensure that businesses are prepared to continue operations in the case of a disruption to operations such as a disaster. Much like an emergency manager, business continuity managers are responsible for identifying risks to business operations, developing plans to respond to and recover from disruptions, communicate and educate employees on these plans, and consistently working to update these plans to new and evolving threats.
Consultants play a critical role in emergency management. While many municipalities may not be large enough to support a full-time emergency planner, consultants are responsible for many emergency management functions, such as assessing hazards and risk to a municipality, writing emergency plans, and developing grant applications to support mitigation efforts. There are several large consulting firms such as Hagerty, Booz Allen Hamilton, AG Witt, and IEM that employ emergency managers to assist with any number of tasks related to identifying risk to building capacity for public and private entities.