Emergency Management Certificate

This certificate program is designed to develop emergency management and related professionals grounded in emergency management principles, social and natural science knowledge, administrative and managerial skills, and technical and personal competencies. The program will contribute to the professionalization of the emergency management community and help cultivate a culture of preparedness and prevention through developing skills to build community capacity to solve problems in emergency situations.

The problems faced today by communities and businesses are much more complex and different from those faced just a few years ago. Growth and changes in our country and the world have created new threats and challenges for our society. Life has gotten more complicated, with new technology and the unfamiliar vulnerabilities and threats they present. Add to this the aging infrastructure, the population shift to the coastlines and we see that much more of the population lives in harms way from earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, and tornadoes. With our world become "smaller" and more populated, the spread of communicable diseases and terrorist attacks makes life more dangerous.

 Professionalism within the Emergency Management system needs enhancement.

·     In the past the Emergency Management community was not college educated

·     Knowledge was learned on the job or with experience

·     Positions were obtained without regard to competencies

·     Emergency management was a second or third career

·     Emergency managers were not full time professionals or valued by community

·     Baby Boomer Emergency Management community at retirement age

Disaster losses are increasing around the world and here in the United States, doubling to tripling every decade. Disasters are and will continue to be a growth business. The surrounding social, economic, political and bureaucratic context within which emergency management operates has become more complicated - requiring more sophisticated engagement.

This certificate program, while only four courses (12 credits) will offer an opportunity to raise the level of professionalism for those in or interested in the emergency management field.

The four courses are: