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Program Overview

Currently accepting applications Apply now >> Program begin in: Autumn 2008 Program location: Online Sign up to receive e-mail updates >> Contact a program representative >>

Emergency management professionals work in a broad range of industries and occupations - federal, state and local government and public administration, education and health care, private companies as well as non-profit organizations. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects emergency management to be one of the fastest-growing occupations during the next decade. In addition, many occupations such as firefighters, police officers, and health-care and military professionals perform work associated with emergency management.

The Certificate Program in Emergency Management prepares individuals to recognize and manage the elements typical of all disaster scenarios: response, recovery, mitigation, risk reduction, prevention, and preparedness. Working with a nationally recognized faculty in emergency management and urban planning, participants will:

• Learn the fundamental concepts and skills for using a GIS for spatial analysis and problem solving.
  
  
• Become familiar with a broad range of resources, including HAZUS - FEMA's powerful risk assessment software program for analyzing potential losses from floods, hurricane winds and earthquakes.
  
  
• Learn and apply key emergency management concepts and principles, and develop knowledge and skills related to infrastructure protection planning.
  
  
• Become familiar with the basic elements of a critical infrastructure system in the US [Physical Critical Infrastructures or Emergency Systems: Public Health and Disease Control or Business Continuity or Cyberterrorism and Communication Systems]; identify their vulnerabilities in the face of a range of critical situations such as accidents, natural disasters, or terrorist attacks; examine best practices used to reduce these vulnerabilities.
  
  
• Become familiar with several methods for selecting, prioritizing and evaluating projects, as well as various performance measures and outcomes-based evaluation methods.

Curriculum

The Certificate in Emergency Management is a sub-set of the groundbreaking online master's program in Strategic Planning for Critical Infrastructures, offered by the Department of Urban Design and Planning. Courses are conducted entirely online and represent a mix of readings, discussion and applications, with an emphasis on problem-solving, case studies and projects.

Students must complete a total of four courses to earn the certificate. Three classes are required and the fourth class can be chosen from among two options. Courses are offered online and include no residency or face-to-face component. The GIS course can be taken as the first or last course in the program. Free time-limited versions of the software required for this program are mailed to students when they register for the GIS course.

The UW Certificate in Emergency Management offers guidance in preparing for the CEM (Certified Emergency Manager) professional credential offered by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM).

How Online Learning Works

Classes in this certificate program are delivered online via the World Wide Web, which means you don't need to come to campus to earn your certificate: You can study from anywhere. To access your course materials, you'll simply log on to the Internet. You'll use e-mail and online discussion boards to communicate with your instructors and other students. The online learning program includes multiple instructional tools to provide a varied and engaging learning environment—print materials, graphics, and a host of Web-based resources.

Just like in a classroom course, in these "group-start" online courses, students begin each course at the same time and work through the coursework together. To participate, you'll need a computer with access to the Web (see technology requirements). After you are accepted and enrolled in a course, you will be emailed instructions on how to access your classes.

This format addresses the same practical content areas and competencies prioritized by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). Throughout the program, participants develop knowledge and expertise not only in emergency management, but also with technologies and tools that will help them excel in the workplace of the future.

Related Programs

Certificate Programs:

• Information Systems Security
• Information Assurance & Cybersecurity (online + classroom combined)
• Critical Infrastructure Protection

• Online Master's in Strategic Planning for Critical Infrastructures

Contact a Program Representative

If you have questions about this program, please call 206-685-8936 in the greater Seattle area, or 888-469-6499, or e-mail us.