Fire and Emergency Response Administration Online B.S.

FERA covers the full administrative and operational landscape of fire and emergency services.

• Emergency Management and Incident Command — How large-scale emergencies are organized, coordinated, and managed across agencies and jurisdictions.
• Leadership and Personnel Development — How to lead teams, manage people, and build the kind of department culture that keeps people safe and retained.
• Disaster Planning and Control — Preparing for and managing events before, during, and after they happen, from wildfires to mass casualty incidents.
• Community Risk Reduction — Identifying hazards, educating the public, and reducing the conditions that lead to emergencies in the first place.

The FERA program prepares you to lead across the full spectrum of emergency response, from the fireline to the executive office.

• Fire Research and Investigation — Understanding fire behavior, cause and origin, and how to apply data and research to operational decisions.
• Legal and Political Foundations — The regulatory, governmental, and legal frameworks that shape how fire and emergency services operate.
• Human Behavior and Trauma Awareness — How people respond in emergencies, and how leaders can support their crews through the psychological demands of the job.
• Administration and Fiscal Management — Budgeting, policy, public administration, and the business side of running an emergency services organization.

A FERA degree opens doors across the full spectrum of fire and emergency services, from entry-level positions in competitive departments to senior leadership roles that require a bachelor’s degree by policy. Many departments across Colorado and the country now require a degree for promotion to captain, battalion chief, or above.

Graduates work in roles including:

• Firefighter and fire officer
• Emergency management director or coordinator
• Fire marshal and fire prevention specialist
• Homeland security and public safety administrator
• FEMA and federal emergency management roles
• Community risk reduction specialist

FERA graduates also move into fields many people don’t associate with fire and emergency services. The degree builds leadership and decision-making skills that apply wherever emergencies happen, including corporate crisis management, school and campus safety, public relations and communications, utilities and critical infrastructure, and insurance and risk management.

For those drawn to the technical side of the field, FERA also opens doors in fire investigation and forensics, wildland fire management, research and standards organizations, and hazardous materials response and planning.

You get the same faculty, the same degree, and the same student services that on-campus students receive.

• A dedicated Student Success Coach helps you map transfer credit, plan your schedule around shift work, and stay on track when calls run long and life gets complicated.
• Free 24/7 tutoring and online library services mean you can study at 3 a.m. after a night shift if that’s when you have the time.
• Academic advising and career services are fully online. Meet with an advisor, explore promotion pathways, and connect to job resources without coming to campus.
• Take six credits to qualify for online major scholarships, then pace your coursework in a way that works around your department’s schedule.
• Your classmates are firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and emergency managers. The peer network you build here is one you’ll use in the field.

Online does not mean alone at MSU Denver. We’re here for you.

Tell us a little about you and we’ll follow up by email with information about

• Program details and requirements
• Transfer credits and how they may apply
• Tuition, scholarships, and financial aid basics
• Start dates, deadlines, and next steps

Current student? Get help by emailing [email protected]