BSEM-MSEM Accelerated Program
Obtain your bachelors and masters together!
With the rise and expanded awareness of hazards and disasters globally, and the need for timely and appropriately measured responses, emergency management has become an essential and rapidly growing profession. It has never been more critical to offer education and training in areas of resiliency, preparedness and helping communities that can be completed over a shorter period of time and provide flexibility for working professionals. In addition, one of the thrusts of the FEMA Higher Education Program, and other professional organizations in emergency management, has included a movement towards professional workforce development with the expectation that emergency management personnel will have formal education through degree programs as part of their credentials.
The Accelerated Program option provides a unique and first of its kind opportunity to allow traditional students, as well as working professionals, to not only earn their bachelor’s degree but to also complete a masters’ degree over a shorter period of time and obtain professional certification(s). Furthermore, federal and state legislation has increased the oversight responsibilities of health care facilities, businesses, industry, and all levels of government that subsequently requires employment of well-educated individuals skilled in emergency planning, preparedness, risk assessment, and mitigation. The program with its comprehensive all-hazards approach will prepare individuals for careers in the private sector, health, non-profit, and all public-sector emergency management related positions.
Individuals with this degree would be able to pursue a broad range of careers related to emergency management such as, but not limited to, emergency management directors, coordinators, specialists (e.g., GIS specialists), emergency planners, disaster planning specialists, public health preparedness coordinators and specialists, relief organization personnel, international humanitarian organizations specialists, private sector consultants, crisis and emergency communication specialists, and public information officers. This accelerated degree program meets the pressing workforce demands in Pennsylvania, across the region, and the nation.
Curriculum
Core Undergraduate Courses
EHEM 201: Introduction to Emergency Management (3 credits)
EHEM 205: Natural Hazards Risk Assessment and Mitigation (3 credits)
EHEM 305: Disaster Management and Community Risk Reduction (3 credits)
EHEM 309: Disaster Recovery and Response (3 credits)
EHEM 315: Business Continuity and Continuity of Operations (3 credits)
EHEM 316: Introduction to Terrorism, WMD, and Homeland Security (3 credits)
EHEM 319: Emergency Management Planning (3 credits)
Core Graduate Courses
EMGT 601: Principles and Practices of Emergency Management (3 credits)
EMGT 603: Technical and Professional Writing for Emergency Management (3 credits)
EMGT 605: Social Dimensions of Disaster (3 credits)
EMGT 607: Emergency Mental Health and Trauma (3 credits)
EMGT 614: Natural Hazards Primer (3 credits)
EMGT 615: Emergency Preparedness for Industry (3 credits)
EMGT 619: Emergency Management Planning (3 credits)
EMGT 693: Field Experience Practicum (3 credits)
Required Related
ESCI 104: World Oceans (3 credits) (G2)
OR
ESCI 261: Introduction to Oceanography (4 credits) (G2)
ESCI 107: The Atmosphere (3 credits) (G2)
ESCI 245: Environmental Meteorology (3 credits) (G2)
ESCI 281: GIS Applications for Earth Sciences (3 credits)
OR
GEOG 281: Maps and GIS (3 credits) AND GEOG 295: GIS I: Vector Data Analysis (3 credits)
MATH 160: Precalculus (4 credits) (Math Foundations)
OSEH 120: Fundamentals of Safety, Health, and Environmental Issues (3 credits) (G3)
Emergency Management Elective Courses (Select two from the list below)
EMGT 609: Disaster Response and Recovery (3 credits)
EMGT 616: Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction & Homeland Security (3 credits)
EMGT 617: Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (3 credits)
EMGT 618: Humanitarian Responses to International Disasters (3 credits)
EMGT 633: GIS Applications for Emergency Management (3 credits)
EMGT 634: Comparative Emergency Management Systems (3 credits)
EMGT 653: Theoretical Perspectives and Methods Applied to Emergency Management (3 credits)
EMGT 629-632: Special Topics Course (3 credits)
EMGT 691: Independent Study (1 - 3 credits)
Permission of instructor and program director required
Required Form
If you have already been accepted into the BSEM program or are currently in the program, you can change your program to the Accelerated BSEM-MSEM program by completing the following form.
Contact program director Dr. Sepi Yalda for more information