The good news is that there are both official and non-official Emergency Management degree online programs. Below expounds on how to get an accredited online Emergency Management degree.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute
The best source of reliable academic information for online Emergency Management programs is FEMA’s website. FEMA is the federal government’s emergency management agency. FEMA’s Emergency management Institute (EMI) is the premier academic organization for protective and emergency services personnel. The Departments of Education and Homeland Security recommend that all incident response personnel and management take basic courses through the EMI. The EMI offers exclusive on-site classes and their independent study program (ISP), which offers free, self-paced classes for qualifying students.
FEMA’s Independent Study Program
In addition to pursuing a formal emergency management degree from an accredited university, students should consider joining FEMA’s independent study program through the EMI. They offer hundreds of classes that cover every possible topic. For example, this includes topics such as animals in disasters, introduction to hazardous materials and civil rights and disaster assistance. Most importantly, because these classes are taught by the federal government’s official emergency management training center, students will be able to transfer some of these credits to their university program. The EMI also provides a list of almost 50 schools that provide either online or on-site bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management. Some schools offer a mixture of online and live-instruction courses.
Emergency Management Programs
Public safety operations and emergency management services are drastically changing because of national and global events. Now more than ever, emergency service teams and agencies must effectively coordinate their planning and response efforts to provide comprehensive public safety and security. Emergency Management degree online programs are designed to prepare students to enter the growing public and private emergency management fields. Students will take courses in everything from disaster preparedness to threat assessments to office administration.
The Basic Curriculum
Before Emergency Management degrees cover advanced topics, they start out with general classes that provide the framework for understanding and excelling in emergency services. For example, students will study psychology, sociology, management and organizational behavior. They must also master writing, research and communication skills. They will also learn about risk, conflict and disaster management. Next they will transition into general emergency management courses, such as the principles of emergency services, disaster leadership and an introduction to the legal and financial concepts of emergency operations. Once students finish these classes, they will move on to advance emergency management coursework.
The Advanced Curriculum
There are many unique courses that emergency management students can choose from. For example, the psychology of disaster or terrorism delves deep into abstract concepts that help emergency management personnel make informed and thoughtful decisions. Consequence management is an uncommon class that builds on the principles of emergency planning and risk management. This course will train students how to deal with unintended or disastrous effects of hard decisions.
Some students may wish to focus on science through studying radiological hazards, weapons of mass destruction or the chemistry of hazardous materials. All emergency management degree programs will have classes that cover Homeland Security and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
It is clear to see that there are ample online opportunities for students to pursue an online degree in Emergency Management. Students who wish to learn more about getting an Emergency Management degree online should visit FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute here.
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