Emergency and Disaster Management Degree Online - Fire Science Administration

Why Earn Your Emergency and Disaster Management Degree Online at Saint Leo?

Expand the scope of your fire services knowledge and prepare for career advancement with the convenience of an online course schedule. Fire science is a respected profession with rising demand in the public and private sectors nationwide. Our comprehensive, regionally and nationally accredited curriculum is designed to deliver world-class training in the high-level leadership skills necessary to manage fire prevention, protection and safety services. Emergency and disaster management degree online students will also gain a deep understanding of the social, political and legal aspects of fire science management.

Our Online Master of Science in Emergency and Disaster Management – Fire Science Administration Specialization program is directed toward those who are currently working in the field. In many jurisdictions and in the military, high-ranking law enforcement, public safety and fire service officers are often encouraged, and may be required, to attain a master’s degree.

However, no matter where you are in your career now, as a graduate of our program you will have applicable skills and an impressive university credential. Your online master’s degree will be an important step forward in your career, moving you closer to your dream of a promotion to lieutenant, captain or battalion chief or becoming an arson investigator or fire marshal and more.

The convenient, online delivery method is ideal for fire service professionals and others who are currently employed and want a nationally recognized, regionally accredited education that fits their personal schedules. That’s you, right? Study when and where you want and finish fast. When you’re ready to enhance your career prospects as a fire science professional, we’re ready to help you achieve your goal.

Guiding you through your studies is Dr. Robert Diemer, a Saint Leo University professor and Director of our Department of Public Safety Administration, and Dr. Ernest Vendrell, professor and Associate Director for the Department of Public Safety Administration.

• Dr. Robert Diemer, is well-known in local and national investigative and law enforcement circles, and has served as a Deputy Sheriff, State Coordinator for the Florida Sheriff’s Association Statewide Task Force, and Chief of Investigations for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Law Enforcement. Dr. Diemer was also responsible for managing and coordinating the operations of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Terrorism Response Team.
• Dr. Ernest Vendrell served 27 years with the Miami-Dade Police Department, working in a variety of patrol, investigative, administrative, and supervisory assignments. Dr. Vendrell is a former Fulbright Scholar with the United Kingdom and was a Visiting Fellow at the University of Leicester, Scarman Centre for the Study of Public Order. His research focused on emergency and disaster management.  Dr. Vendrell is a member of various organizations, including ASIS International, where he serves on the Crisis Management and Business Continuity Council; the International Association of Emergency Managers; and the International Association for Law Enforcement Planners.  He is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP), a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), as well as a Certified Law Enforcement Planner (CLEP).  Dr. Vendrell is also the co-author of Managing Critical Incidents and Large-Scale Event Security. This book was selected as the 2017 Security book of the Year by ASIS International. 

Other faculty in the program include current emergency management directors, current fire investigators, and former chief fire officers, many of whom have impressive professional credentials. 

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