Masters in Emergency Management

This degree balances conceptual knowledge in emergency management with skill acquisition in crisis management, hazard assessment and other analytic and management skills. A total of 30 graduate semester hours are required for the degree with 21 required hours of emergency management courses, and 9 hours of approved emergency management electives. All requirements for the degree can be met through distance learning. A 15-hour Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Emergency Management degree are also available.


Degree Requirements

Successful completion of a total of 30 graduate semester hours of emergency management (EM) courses are required for this degree. Course requirements consist of twenty-one (21) hours of required EM courses and nine (9) hours of 500-level electives [choose three (3) courses from the elective EM courses listed below].


EM Curriculum

EM 505 Foundations of Emergency Management 3 hours
EM 525 Disaster Recovery 3 hours
EM 530 Research Methods in Emergency Management 3 hours
EM 540 Hazard Mitigation 3 hours
EM 545 Emergency Preparedness 3 hours
EM 555 Disaster Response 3 hours
EM 590 Capstone in Emergency Management 3 hours
Total Required EM Courses 21 hours

Choose three elective courses for the list below:

EM 511 Disasters and the Media 3 hours
EM 515 Legal Aspects of Emergency Management 3 hours

EM 521 Exercise Design and Evaluation

 3 hours
EM 526 Advanced Radiological Incidents Operations 3 hours
EM 535 Terrorism and Homeland Security 3 hours
EM 548 Vulnerability and Capacity-Building 3 hours
EM 565 Management Systems in Disaster 3 hours
EM 568 Crisis Management for Business and Industry 3 hours
EM 570 Biosecurity 3 hours
EM 575 Health and Medical Aspects of Emergency Management 3 hours
EM 576 Healthcare Leadership for All-Hazards Incidents 3 hours

EM 578 Advanced Public Information Officer for Hospital and Healthcare

 3 hours
EM 580 Current Issues in Homeland Security 3 hours
EM 595 Directed Studies in Emergency Management 3 hours
EM 596 Internship in Emergency Management 3 hours
Total EM Elective Courses 9 hours
Total Hours Required for Degree 30 hours

Distance Learning

All of the requirements for this degree can be met without attending any sessions on campus. JSU is uniquely qualified to meet your distance learning needs. A pioneer in the field, with over 1,200 of JSU's student body of 8,900 students are pursuing course work via distance learning.


Transfer Credits

Up to 6 hours of credit can be granted on transfer pending the approval of the Emergency Management Department Head and the Dean of the Graduate School. Please contact a graduate advisor concerning transfer credit.


Advisement & Registration

Advisement is required for all students accepted into the program. If considering application to the MS in Emergency Management program, contact:

Denise DaSilva at 256-782-8262 or 800-231-JAX1 ext. 8262
email: ddasilva@jsu.edu 

For information on admission to JSU's graduate school, contact JSU Graduate Studies at:

Phone: 256-782-5348 or 800-231-5291 ext. 5348
Email: graduate@jsu.edu 
Graduate Studies Website

Graduate Application
Class Schedule


Library Resources

JSU provides comprehensive library services for distance learning students. Information on JSU's Distance Learning Library can be found on the library's website.


Graduate Admission Requirements

View the Admission Requirements on the Graduate Studies website.