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by Dr. Thomas Phelan
College programs in
emergency management
and business continuity
planning offer a
comprehensive array
of knowledge, skills
and abilities.
The curricula are based on research, timetested
applications, and extensive study of
multiple disciplines related to all
aspects of crisis management and disaster
preparedness, response, recovery and
restoration. They are especially effective
in teaching management principles for
those seeking careers in supervision,
comprehensive emergency management
and business continuity program
development and implementation.
With all the training available leading
to certification as a Certified Business
Continuity Professional (CBCP) or a
Certified Emergency Manager (CEM),
what added value is there from earning
a college degree in either specialty? In
the fields of BCM and EM, a closer look
at the courses required and the content
of those courses might help us to understand
the value of a degree program.
Colleges offer several degree programs,
from ‘associate’ to ‘graduate’.
The requirements differ from college to college. While there are broad degrees
in fields like management, finance,
technology, and human resources, colleges
also offer more focused, specialty
courses in homeland security, crime
scene investigation, disaster recovery
planning, incident command or weapons
of mass destruction. Students are
well advised to examine the degree
course offerings to see if their personal
and professional goals will be met by
completing a particular degree.
There are approximately 145 college
programs in emergency management
or business continuity in the United
States and a growing number in Canada.
Information about them is available
from the FEMA Higher Education Project,
directed by B. Wayne Blanchard at
the Emergency Management Institute
in Emmitsburg, Maryland. For a list of
those programs and an excellent reading
list, see www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/. The perspectives of
faculty whose study has been deliberate
and concentrated over a period of years
may differ from those of practitioners
facilitating one-day or one-week
courses. (In some cases, such as this
author’s, the facilitator might also be
on a college or university faculty.) The
time available for teaching and student
study is also significantly greater in a
degree program.
College degree programs are varied.
Some are highly specialized, particularly
at the certificate or associate’s degree
level. Students with limited time often
are attracted to these programs to
gain specific skill sets related to such
specialties as emergency medical services,
firefighting, law enforcement,
NIMS ICS, HazMat response, or exercise
design. The emphasis is on the
concentration courses rather than a
more broad liberal arts curriculum. An
example is the Onondaga Community
College A.A.S. Degree in Emergency
Management, with details on their
course requirements at the FEMA website
above.
Red Rocks Community College is
offering both an Associate Applied
Science Degree in Emergency Management
and Planning and an Associate
of Applied Science Certificate. The
Associate Degree is geared toward new
entrants into the Emergency Management
field. This degree requires the
completion of 60 credit hours, including
the core EMP courses. All of the core
courses are available online. Some elective
courses may not be available over
the Internet. The Certificate program
is geared toward current practitioners
who want to upgrade their skills.
The core EMP courses offered by
Red Rocks, over the Internet, include
all seven courses required for the coveted
FEMA Professional Development
Series Certificate. These courses are
Principles of Emergency Management,
Emergency Planning, Exercise Design,
Leadership and Influence, Decision
Making and Problem Solving, Effective
Communication, and Developing
Volunteer Resources. Additional information
is at www.rrcc.edu/emplan/.
At the bachelor’s degree level, normally
a four-year course of study, the
opportunity is greater for expanding
one’s knowledge both in liberal arts
and in the chosen area of concentration.
B.S. degree programs are offered both
on campus and online. The American
Public University System in West
Virginia and Jacksonville State University
in Alabama both offer emergency
management concentrations online. An
excerpt from their website describes the
integrated approach taken by American
Public University’s B.A. degree in
Emergency and Disaster Management:
“In the homeland security area, there
is considerable discussion about concepts
such as all-hazards approach,
emergency and disaster management,
risk prevention and management, counter-
terrorism, consequence management
and consequence mitigation, and others.
Educators are still grappling with
what makes up the various applied and
research fields of study, and what are the
academic disciplines inherent in this
emerging field.
Clear and definitive guidelines have
not yet evolved in this emerging field,
and the subject is complex in theory
and practice. The immaturity of the
field prevents consensus and accepted
standards from emerging. The fully
developed degree program at APUS
prepares students for the complexities
of this field, along with preparation in
a number of areas across the homeland
security and emergency management
spectrum. In its degree programs,
APUS takes an integrated approach
that reflects this discipline in its current
emergency state.”
Jacksonville State University offers a
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Emergency
Management. The interdisciplinary
curriculum blends theoretical perspectives
with professional practice, and
emphasizes application of knowledge to
practice settings, preparing graduates
for careers in the public, private or nonprofit
sectors.
At JSU, a total of 128 semester hours
are required, with 30 required hours in
the major. JSU offers both online and
on-campus courses. The B.S. in Emergency
Management may be supported
with a minor in Public Safety Telecommunications
(PST) or other approved
minors.
As one might expect, the master’s
degree programs are more focused on
management knowledge and skills
related to emergency management or
business continuity planning. One
example is Elmira College’s combination
of private sector business continuity
planning content and the public sector
emergency management content, such
as NIMS compliance and Homeland
Security. Gregory L. Shaw, D.Sc., CBCP,
of the George Washington University
commented in his external evaluation
of the Elmira program in a March,
2006 report, “From my perspective, it
is gratifying to see that Elmira College
has it right. A vast majority of the
other programs focus almost entirely
on Homeland Security and terrorism.
Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
Management, in all sectors and
for all hazards is based upon sound
management philosophy and practices.
Personnel with leadership responsibilities
in these areas are first and foremost
managers dealing within the social,
political, financial, and cultural concerns
and constraints of Emergency and
Disaster Preparedness.”
Similarly, the graduate program at
Boston University’s Metropolitan College
combines principles and practices
of emergency management with those
of business continuity planning. The
George Washington University graduate
program is extensive, especially in
Homeland Security and governmental
administration, perhaps due to its
proximity to the White House. Adult
learners enrolled in graduate programs
such as these are employed in both public
and private organizations such as the
military, correctional institutions, aeronautics
firms, publishing companies, IT
service providers, consulting firms, banking
and financial institutions, health care
facilities, and many others.
National University is offering a master’s
level program which, in addition
to the traditional college degree, also
prepares graduates for two well recognized
professional certifications. Anyone
successfully completing the Homeland
Security and Safety Engineering program
would be academically trained
to appear for Certified Safety Professional
(CSP) certification administered
by the Board of Safety Professionals and
for the American Society of Industrial
Security (ASIS) Certified Protection
Professional (CPP) exam. To receive a
Master of Science in Homeland Security
and Safety Engineering, students must
complete 54 quarter units involving
twelve courses. A total of 13.5 quarter
units of graduate credit may be granted
for equivalent graduate work completed
at another institution. More details are
available at www.nu.edu.
Long Island University offers both a
graduate level certificate and a master’s
program. LIU’s Homeland Security
Management Institute offers a graduate-
level, 15 credit Advanced Certificate
in Homeland Security Management as
well as a 36 credit Master of Science
in Homeland Security Management,
both delivered fully online. These two
programs are available to professionals
working in law enforcement, Emergency
Management, the military, fire
fighting or HazMat operations, corporate
or private security, the intelligence
community, or any other Homeland
Security field, as well as to those who
aspire to pursue management careers in
various homeland security fields.
LIU also offers tuition discounts to
qualified municipal employees, making
this online program more accessible to
those in the public sector. More details
are available at www.liu.edu/homeland.
Online technology used to facilitate
distance learning has advanced considerably,
allowing for greater access to
degree programs. The American Public
University System, Boston University,
and Jacksonville State University have
excellent online learning systems. They
make available the expertise of adjunct
faculty who are practitioners in their
own right, and also offer many of the
special services normally associated with
on-campus programs such as writing
centers, vast online libraries, textbook
delivery systems, and accommodations
for students with special needs.
The college experience offers an
in-depth study opportunity over an
extended time period. It allows one to
earn a transferable, permanent credential. College degrees don’t expire and require
no re-certification. They are permanent
and transferable to virtually every
setting. They fulfill the traditional
requirement of many employers, regardless
of the academic major. Degrees are
expandable and may be augmented
with further study at the same level or
in the pursuit of an advanced degree.
They may also be augmented through
DRI International, Private and Public
Businesses, Inc. (PPBI), or other proprietary
or public courses. Many graduates
enroll in the CERT program or Red
Cross training.
In summary, the college degree
programs, at all levels, in emergency
management or business continuity
planning, offer a permanent, in-depth
learning opportunity and credential.
They go beyond certification in that
they require a greater time commitment,
a background in general or liberal
arts studies, and access to faculty whose
advanced study or practical experience
is invaluable. As the complexities of
the management issues in BCP or EM
increase, there will be an increased
demand to educate BCP and EM professionals
in college classrooms rather
than to rely on veteran practitioners
to move into management positions.
The gap between tactical operations in
either BCP or EM and the management
requirements in either field is growing.
Colleges present an approach to bridging
the gap.
About the Author
Dr. Tom Phelan, President, Strategic Teaching
Associates, Inc., is a founding member of the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security and
a member of the IBM Crisis Response Team
which responded to Katrina and the Indian
Ocean Tsunami. He serves on the Board of
PPBI, Editorial Advisory Boards for Disaster
Recovery Journal and Disaster Management
Canada, and is a member of IAEM. Tom teaches
at Elmira College, among others. Tom earned
a Doctorate from Syracuse University, and
has consulted and presented in the United
States, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Sri
Lanka, and Singapore. He can be reached at
sta@twcny.rr.com.
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