Columbia College – Bachelor of Arts in Emergency Management
Columbia College offers a Bachelor of Arts in Emergency Management. The program is designed to help students develop skills in disaster management, planning, and communication and a knowledge base in emergency management and homeland security. The programuses both conceptual and applied approaches to provide students a foundation in the principles and practices of emergency management and homeland security. Students earning this degree will know how to lead their organizations and communities to foster preparedness, strengthen response capabilities, and reduce vulnerability to disasters. There are many interesting career opportunities in both the public and private sector for emergency managers. Students can build a career in government agencies, businesses, or non-governmental organizations active in disasters.
The program is fully online and asynchronous so that students can take classes regardless of their work schedule. Classes are five weeks in length and each 25-week term includes five courses.
Degree Requirements:
The degree requirements include 33 semester hours in General Education courses, 39 hours in the major, and 55 hours in electives, for a total of 127 semester hours.
Core Program Requirements (39 credits):
Course Code / Course Title / Credit HoursEight required EM courses:
EM 101 / Introduction to Emergency Management / 3
EM 102 / Introduction to Homeland Security / 3
EM 110 / Psychological and Social Dimensions of Disaster / 3
EM 120 / Introduction to the Science of Hazards / 3
EM 201 / Planning for Emergency and Disaster Management / 3
EM 204 / Communication Skills for Emergency Management / 3
EM 230 / Introduction to Public Administration / 3
EM 490 / Leadership in Emergency Management Organizations / 3
Select 5 EM electives from:
EM 210 / Community Resiliency, Recovery and Mitigation / 3
EM 220 / Hazard Mapping and Modeling / 3
EM 250 / Disasters and Public Health / 3
EM 310 / Terrorism in the Modern World / 3
EM 320 / Weapons of Mass Destruction / 3
EM 330 / Cyber and Information Security / 3
EM 350 / Risk Analysis and Threat Assessment / 3
EM 360 / Homeland Security Law and Public Policy / 3
EM 420 / Management of Human Resources / 3
EM 430 / Strategic Planning / 3
EM 460 / International Disaster Response / 3
EM 470 / Terrorist Organizations: Structure and Operations / 3
EM 472 / Emergency Management of Epidemics and Bioterrorism / 3
EM 473 / Response to Explosive Devices and Incidents / 3
Columbia College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; and is a member of the University and Agency Partnership Initiative of the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Security and Defense.
For more information:
Contact: Emily Bentley, J.D.
Program Director, Emergency Management
Columbia College
1301 Columbia College Drive
Columbia, SC 29203
Office Phone: (803) 786-3907
Email:
Additional information:
Updated: 03/02/2016
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