Earn your Graduate Emergency Management Degree (Online)

Here is a brief sampling of career paths as a result of obtaining a Master’s of Science in Emergency Management with a student-centered, experiential approach from Brevard College.

Careers in Emergency Management can be found in both the public and the private sector, working at the local, state, and federal level, and for a wide variety of private organizations.

Emergency Operations Manager: Oversee response strategies, coordinates teams during crises, and ensures effective emergency preparedness and recovery plans are in place.

Emergency Management Coordinator: Design, implement, and oversee programs to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergency situations.

Emergency Management Specialist: Assesses hazards, plans for emergencies, trains responders, and coordinates resources during disaster response and recovery efforts.

Disaster Preparedness Coordinator: Develops and executes emergency response plans, conducts training, and ensures readiness for natural and man-made disasters.

Disaster Preparedness Specialist: Analyzes risks, formulates contingency plans, educates the public, and ensures organizational readiness for potential emergencies.

Disaster Recovery Specialist: Focuses on restoring operations post-disaster, managing recovery processes, and mitigating future risks to business continuity.

Exercise Planner: Designs, coordinates, and evaluates drills and exercises to test and improve emergency response and preparedness protocols.

Federal Coordinating Officer (FEMA): Leads federal disaster response and recovery operations, liaises with local authorities, and ensures effective resource deployment.

Federal Recovery Specialist (FEMA): Assists in managing and implementing rec

You’ll combine online coursework with practical and specialized skills related to the field of emergency management through an experiential education that emulates real world situations. You'll also complete FEMA certifications in conjunction with online coursework that integrate an in-depth study of the disaster cycle, ethical and legal issues, policies, professional theory, ethics, skills, and practice to prepare graduates for professional work in emergency management.

Students seeking the Master of Science degree in Emergency Management must complete the following:

1. Core Courses (18 semester hours)

• ERM501 Principles of Emergency Management (3 semester hours)
• ERM503 Public Policy in Emergency Management (3 semester hours)
• ERM506 Response and Management of Critical Operations (3 semester hours)
• ERM509 Ethical and Legal Issues in Emergency Management (3 semester hours)
• ERM521 Research Methods I (one semester hour)
• ERM522 Research Methods II (one semester hour)
• ERM523 Applied Research Methods (one semester hour)
• ERM660 Capstone (3 semester hours)

2. A minimum of 12 semester hours of advisor-approved graduate-level elective work designed to meet the student’s professional objectives.

3. Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 for continued participation in the program

4. The master’s degree program must be completed within six years of the time of admission to the program.

1. Completed application for admission.
2. Completion of a B.A. or B.S. degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
3. Minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.

In some cases, the Admissions Office can offer conditional admission to students who fall below this criteria. Students conditionally admitted must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their first two semesters of graduate study.

ADMISSIONS ADVANTAGE PROGRAM

Western Carolina University's undergraduate program graduates will receive automatic, guaranteed admission into Brevard College's Graduate Program.**

$600 per credit hour

Graduate program application fee waived.

A reduced tuition of $500 is offered to Brevard College graduates, current active public safety professionals and veterans.*