Arizona State University Online Master of Arts in Emergency Management and Homeland Security (Cybersecurity Policy and Management Concentration)

ASU Online's M.A. in Emergency Management and Homeland Security with a Cybersecurity Policy and Management concentration is a 33-credit, fully online master's that focuses on cybersecurity policy and the principles of information protection, not on hands-on technical work. It ends with an applied project. It suits people in government, public safety or risk roles who manage security instead of configuring it.

This is a Master of Arts from Arizona State University, a public research university in Tempe, Arizona. ASU Online delivers it, and ASU says its online degrees come through its engineering and public service schools. The degree is in Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and cybersecurity is the concentration.

The distinction from a technical master's is important. Two concentration courses emphasize cybersecurity policy in the United States and the key principles of information protection. The rest of the 33 credits are electives and an applied project. If you want to learn penetration testing or build secure software, look elsewhere.

You earn a Master of Arts in Emergency Management and Homeland Security from ASU. Ask whether a programmatic accreditor or a certification is attached to the degree.

The applied project is the practical credential. Choose a topic that matches the job you want, because a policy or risk-management project in your own field is something you can hand to a hiring manager.

Where this degree can lead: Cybersecurity Degree Jobs.

Who It Fits

• You work in or want to move into emergency management, public safety, government or critical infrastructure, where cybersecurity is one piece of a larger risk picture.
• You want to understand cybersecurity law and policy rather than write code or run security tools.
• You like a master's that finishes with an applied project, which lets you work on a problem close to your own field.
• You have a non-technical background. A policy-focused degree doesn't ask you to prove programming skill the way some technical master's programs do, though you should confirm admission requirements.

Who Should Skip It

• You want technical depth in networks, cryptography or software security. ASU's Master of Computer Science with a cybersecurity concentration lists courses like Applied Cryptography, Software Security and Advanced Computer Network Security, and it's the better match for that goal.
• You want a degree titled Cybersecurity. This diploma says Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
• You need a firm tuition figure before you apply. Request the per-credit rate for your residency.

The degree is 33 credits. The concentration is small and focused: two courses on cybersecurity policy in the United States and the key principles of information protection. That is a defined slice of the degree, with the remainder made up of electives and the applied project that closes the program.

Because only part of the degree is cybersecurity, ask for the full list of core courses and electives. Find out how much of the emergency management and homeland security material applies to your job, and whether you can choose electives that lean toward security or toward disaster response.

The degree is 33 credit hours. Ask ASU Online for the rate that applies to your residency and for any program fees.

A useful comparison is the same school's Master of Computer Science with a cybersecurity concentration, which is 30 credits. If you're torn between the two, ask for the cost of each side by side, since the difference of three credits plus different electives will change the total.

The degree is fully online. For a working professional, the first questions are how classes are scheduled, whether sessions are live and how long each course runs.

Ask also how big the cohort is and who teaches. An emergency management program draws students from public safety and government, so classmates may be a major benefit for networking. That is worth asking about directly.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

• Only two courses are cybersecurity-specific, so most of the degree is general emergency management and homeland security.
• Ask for the tuition rate before you apply, since you'll need it to price the degree.
• There is no technical or lab component listed, so you won't build hands-on security skills here.
• Class length and scheduling are worth confirming before you plan around a full-time job.

• What is the per-credit rate for my residency, and what fees apply?
• Which courses are required, and which electives lean toward cybersecurity?
• What does the applied project involve, and can I base it on a problem at my workplace?
• How long is each course, and are there live sessions?
• What do I need to apply: a minimum GPA, work experience, or a particular bachelor's degree?
• How do graduates use this degree in hiring for government or critical infrastructure roles?

A public research university in Tempe, Arizona. ASU Online delivers these degrees through its engineering and public service schools.

• Best Cybersecurity Policy Degrees Rank 7 of 10, master's
• Best Online Programs in Arizona Rank 6 of 8, master's

• Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (Cybersecurity concentration)

  B.S., Bachelor's

  Fully Online Score 49.3

• Master of Computer Science (Cybersecurity concentration)

  M.C.S., Master's

  Fully Online Score 50.1

• University of Arizona

  Cybersecurity (Master of Science)

  Arizona $1,250 per credit Score 48.8

• Washington University in St Louis

  Online Master of Cybersecurity Management

  Missouri $2,450 per credit Score 48.7

• Marymount University

  Cybersecurity, M.S.

  Virginia Score 49.8

• Wilmington University

  Master of Science in Cybersecurity

  Delaware $564 per credit Score 49.8