A bachelor's degree in EMS management was the initial course of studies in an academic program designed to prepare people to work in a variety of occupations in EMS.

This paper includes a brief history of that program, its purposes, goals and curriculum and the first data on follow up of its graduates.

In the United States of America, the Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) act of 1973 stimulated people from a variety of fields and backgrounds to work together to develop and manage emergency systems of care; it also raised the question of how to prepare people to meet the future needs of the system. At that time, and with few exceptions, there was little or no academic involvement directed to the concept of the system of EMS and there was a dearth of persons with predictable knowledge and skills in this area. The apparent need for preparing leadership personnel for EMS became the focus of thinking by the Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).