The Emergency and Disaster Management degree is designed to provide students with graduate level knowledge and associated critical thinking/decision making involved in planning, management, relief, and recovery for, in, and from public crises. As a core of study, students will be exposed to the history, theory, planning, management, response, relief, recovery, economics, and specific cases associated with public emergencies, disasters, and catastrophes. Included in the curriculum are natural, technical, and human-induced crises.

Degree Program Objectives 

In addition to the institutional and degree level learning outcomes objectives, the Master of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management also seeks the following specific learning outcomes of its graduates. Graduates in this degree program will be able to do the following:

• 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, and 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, National Incident Management System.
• Perform economic and social analyses necessary to provide funding recommendations to appropriate fiscal authorities, develop and manage budgets

Degree Program Requirements

Core Courses (15 semester hours)
PS500 / POL 500 - Research Methods
DM584 / PUB 530 - Public Policy
EM506 / EDM 502 - Emergency and Disaster Theory
EM504 / EDM 503 - Emergency and Disaster Planning and Management
EM516 / EDM 509 - Interagency Disaster Management

Major Courses (Select 15 semester hours)
General Program
DM512 / EDM 560 - Crisis Action Planning
DM548 / MGT 604 - Organizational Crisis Management
DM576 / EDM 565 - Consequence Management: Terrorism Preparation & Response
DM577 / PUB 610 - Public Management
DM612 / PUB 620 - Local Political Administration
DM644 / EDM 612 - Risk Communications
EM500 / EDM 611 - Case Analysis: Crisis and Disaster
EM502 / HCM 606 - Disaster Health Management
EM503 / EDM 530 - Economics of Disaster
EM507 / EDM 501 - Emergency Management and Public Law
EM508 / EDM 540 - Emergency Management Health and Medical Issues
EM509 / HCM 607 - Epidemiology
EM519 / EDM 541 - Mass Casualty Incident Management
LC535 / HLS 522 - WMD and the New Terrorism

Graduate Electives (Select 6 semester hours)
From courses not taken to meet required, core, or major requirements
EM700 / EDM 780 - Separate Comprehensive Examination Taken once all other degree requirements have been met.
EM706 / EDM 705 - Master’s Capstone Seminar in Emergency and Disaster Management (3 semester hours) capstone seminar option includes  a thesis, or a major research project or paper  in lieu of the final comprehensive examination, which has no credit hours.  Those who elect this option may reduce their electives by three semester hours to accommodate the seminar option credit. This option is desirable for those students who wish to focus on specific subject matter of an interdisciplinary nature or who would like to continue their education at a higher level.
Students electing this option must use this as one of the graduate electives.

Total Hours: 36 semester hours