The Master of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management provides graduate-level knowledge to improve critical thinking and decision-making skills required in the planning and management of public crises. This online master's degree program exposes you to the history, theory, response, recovery, and economics of EDM. Through case study examination, you'll study natural, technical, and human-induced public emergencies, disasters, and catastrophes. Knowledge gained from this online program can supplement experience previously gained in the public safety field.
This program is recognized by the Foundation of Higher Education for Disaster and Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The university is the first online institution to receive this important distinction. This program is taught by highly credentialed and experienced instructors, many who are board-certified emergency managers (CEM) or who have professional experience in government agencies or national safety and security organizations.
The mission of the Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management is to help students gain the knowledge often required in leadership roles in the protection of the public in emergency circumstances by providing students with the theory, operations, and best practices across the entire field and challenging them to demonstrate how to effectively apply them.
Degree Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Develop a research proposal for emergency and disaster management and report the findings including an estimation of economic impacts.
- Select, evaluate, and prioritize research projects and proposals in community preparedness and emergency response.
- Organize emergency management functions and activities using contemporary emergency and disaster management concepts and federal guidelines.
- Formulate plans that clearly differentiate disaster response actions including recovery operations and their funding from routine emergency operations.
- Design and promote inter-disciplinary training to assure integration between all aspects of an Emergency Operations function including: planning and pre-event preparedness; threat and vulnerability assessments; capability and capacity evaluation; public policy issues; mitigation strategies; exercises and training; program evaluation.
- Develop plans and policies that ensure the strong organizational and personal relationships necessary to be able to work with the key federal agencies to ensure interagency cooperation at all levels during any large-scale incident.
- Formulate policies procedures and protocols to allow seamless agency integration in both small and large Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) assuring compliance with the National Response Plan and National Incident Management System.
- Perform economic and social analyses necessary to provide funding recommendations to appropriate fiscal authorities; develop and manage budgets.
Degree at a Glance
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | 21 | |
| Major Requirements | 12 | |
| Final Requirements | 3 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 36 | |
Degree Program Requirements
Core Requirements (21 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDMG502 | Emergency and Disaster Theory 1 | 3 |
| SSGS500 | Research Design and Methods | 3 |
| EDMG503 | Emergency and Disaster Planning and Management | 3 |
| EDMG509 | Interagency Disaster Management | 3 |
| EDMG560 | Crisis Action Planning | 3 |
| EDMG515 | Hazard Mitigation and Resilient Communities | 3 |
| EDMG600 | Emergency Management Perspectives on Cybersecurity | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 21 | |
| 1 | Required as the first course in this program. |
Major Requirements (12 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select 4 courses from the following: | 12 | |
| Emergency Management and Public Law | ||
| Economics of Disaster | ||
| Mass Casualty Incident Management | ||
| Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management | ||
| Consequence Management: Terrorism Preparation & Response | ||
| Case Analysis: Crisis and Disaster | ||
| Social Justice Issues in Emergency Management | ||
| Climate Change Adaptation | ||
| Security Risk Management | ||
| Weapons of Mass Destruction and the New Terrorism | ||
| Resilience and Homeland Security | ||
| Port Security | ||
| Introduction to Global Security | ||
| Homeland Security and the Law | ||
| Law, Ethics and Cybersecurity | ||
| Foundations of Governance and Policy | ||
| Applied Statistics | ||
| Organizational Crisis Management | ||
| Leadership in a Time of Crisis | ||
| Risk Management for Leaders | ||
| Concepts and Processes of Organizational Crisis Management | ||
| Ethics in Government | ||
| Public Management | ||
| Law and Public Policy | ||
| Public Finance | ||
| Local Political Administration | ||
| Emergency Management Health and Medical Issues | ||
| Quarantine | ||
| Disaster Health Management | ||
| Epidemiology | ||
| Disaster Psychology | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Crisis and Emergency Intervention | ||
| Global Issues in Supply Chain Management | ||
| National Transportation Management | ||
| Strategic Intermodal Transportation | ||
| Cargo Security Management | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 12 | |
Final Program Requirements (3 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| Emergency and Disaster Management & Homeland Security Capstone | ||
| Master's Project Capstone Seminar 1 | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 3 | |
| 1 | Taken once all other degree requirements have been met. |