Master of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management

This degree provides 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, this degree also seeks the following specific learning outcomes of its graduates. Graduates in this degree program will be able to:

• 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.