What Is an Emergency Management Degree?

An emergency management degree helps you gain the knowledge and skills needed to plan for and respond to various emergencies professionally. Events such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, technological failures, and other sudden risks can be devastating for communities and the environment. After such events, emergency management professionals are needed to assess the damages and develop a recovery plan. 

Those who work in government, hospitals, research institutions, non-profit organizations, and civil society groups collaborate to devise prevention methods, which can be long-term plans, like improving infrastructure, or short-term fixes, like drafting communications plans. For these positions, an emergency management degree is a helpful foundation for launching a career.

While you can prepare for a career in emergency management in a variety of ways, earning a degree can help you get there faster. If you think this path could be right for you, read on to learn more about the types of emergency management degrees and potential career opportunities.

Read more: What Does a Paramedic Do? (And How to Become One)

What is an emergency management degree?

An emergency management degree helps you qualify for a career in preparing for and responding to emergencies. In a degree program, you may complete coursework related to the psychological, social, and environmental parts of disaster response.

According to FEMA, you can choose from 20 doctoral degree programs, 319 master’s degree programs, 250 bachelor’s degree programs, and 74 associate degree programs throughout the United States to earn a degree relevant to emergency management [1]. While organizations like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are popular career aspirations for emergency management professionals, both the public and private sectors offer plenty of career options.

Read more: How to Get a Government Job: US Federal Government Careers

What course material does a degree in emergency management cover?

You’ll learn about different kinds of emergencies, like natural disasters, exposure to hazardous materials, terrorism, and more. You’ll take courses in community preparedness and may conduct field exercises with drills or training for an organization. Degree seekers learn how to craft real-life, multi-stakeholder responses to various crises.

What is emergency management?

Emergency management encompasses different procedures for dealing with disasters and sudden events that may vary depending on the country, the situation, and the community. The unpredictable nature of such events calls for emergency management individuals to develop skills like adaptability, leadership, organization, and communication, in addition to technical expertise.

For example, the National Preparedness Goal that FEMA outlines for the US involves five areas of emergency management [2]:

• Prevention

• Protection

• Mitigation

• Response

• Recovery

In 2023, FEMA reported that 42 percent of Americans plan to prepare for hazards and identified threats but have not yet started, and 14 percent say they don't plan to prepare [3]. To ensure the safety of the public at large, it takes a highly skilled team to create plans and solutions for widespread events. 

To learn more about who has a role in emergency management, check out this video from the State University of New York:

Types of emergency management degrees

Since emergency management is a subject of study, you'll find a variety of degree types at the associate, bachelor's, and master's levels. You can take classes in person or enroll in an online program.

1. Associate degree in emergency management

An associate degree is enough to get an entry-level job in emergency management. They typically take only two years to earn, as opposed to a four-year bachelor’s degree, and credits earned can be transferred to a bachelor’s program if you decide to pursue one later on. A few examples of emergency management associate degrees include:

• Associate of Applied Science in Emergency Management

• Associate in Applied Science in Emergency Management and Homeland Security

• Associate in Applied Science in Hazardous Materials Management

• Associate in Applied Science in Emergency Management Technology

• Associate in Applied Science in Fire Protection Technology

2. Bachelor’s in emergency management

For more advanced roles in emergency management, a bachelor’s degree may be a minimum requirement. If you’re keen to work in government or the private sector in positions like occupational health and safety specialist or hospital emergency preparedness administrator, then a bachelor’s degree can typically take you much farther than an associate degree. Examples of bachelor's degrees in emergency management include:

• Bachelor of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management

• Bachelor of Arts in Homeland Security

• Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with a Concentration in Information Assurance and Security

• Bachelor of Science in Public Health

• Bachelor of Science in Emergency Administration Management

3. Master’s in emergency management

Master’s degrees are the most common type of emergency management degree, but generally, you’ll need a bachelor’s before pursuing one. A master's tends to be worthwhile only if you're interested in specializing in a specific area of emergency management—such as disaster relief or homeland security. Emergency management master's degree examples include:

• Master of Science in Emergency Management

• Master of Science in Information Technology with a Concentration in Cybersecurity

• Dual Master of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management and Homeland Security

• Master of Science in Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy

• Master of Science in Healthcare Emergency Management

4. Doctorate in emergency management

A doctoral program in emergency management is less common than all of the above degrees but is valuable for individuals with a passion for disaster relief and development. Though diving into a niche academic topic in this field requires years of research and writing, it can be rewarding and lead to advanced careers in emergency management. Examples of emergency management doctoral degrees include:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Emergency and Protective Services

• PhD in Biodefense

• PhD in Criminal Justice and Criminology

• Doctor of Science in Civil Security Leadership, Management, and Policy

• PhD in Fire and Emergency Management Administration

An emergency management degree can help you prepare for many different careers. For a job such as emergency management specialist, 57 percent have a bachelor’s, 20 percent have an associate degree, 14 percent have a master’s, and 4 percent have a high school diploma, according to Zippia [4].

Emergency management can also be a concentration within a different discipline, such as public health, public administration, or business administration.

Case study: Becoming a firefighter

While you only need a high school diploma to become a firefighter, a bachelor’s or associate degree in emergency management can help you get promoted or become a leader of a fire- or disaster-related organization. Earning a degree can help you advance in your career faster.

Concentrations in emergency management

When you enroll in an emergency management degree program, you'll likely be able to choose from several concentrations. Here is a list of common focus areas and relevant coursework.

• Disaster relief: Facility security, emergency planning, hazardous materials awareness, developing community resources, incident response

• Homeland security: Domestic and international terrorism, criminal justice, organizational management, cybercrime

• Public administration: Budgeting for the public sector, public relations, municipal management, research skills, public safety

• Fire science: Fire prevention practices, fire analysis, fire management, safe behavior

• Child protection: Risk assessment and evaluation, family and juvenile therapy

Read more: How Long Does It Take to Become a Paramedic? + Career Guide

What can you do with an emergency management degree?

With an emergency management degree, you can qualify for a variety of jobs, such as a disaster recovery manager, emergency planner, homeland security officer, policy analyst, border patrol agent, educator, and much more. Take a look at a few examples of emergency management career roles and their average annual salaries.

1. Emergency management director

Average annual US salary (Lightcast™): $88,899 [5]

These specialists develop response plans for emergency events by evaluating risks, preparing damage assessments, and coordinating training programs. 

2. Fire chief

Average annual US salary (Lightcast™): $84,822 [6]

Fire chiefs are in charge of managing operations for a fire department. In this role, you conduct firefighter training drills, inspect buildings for safety compliance, and draft action plans with local government officials.

3. Occupational health and safety specialist

Average annual US salary (Lightcast™): $83,113 [7]

An occupational health and safety specialist assesses work environments and procedures for any possible hazards or risks.

4. Emergency medical technician

Average annual US salary (Lightcast™): $40,119 [8]

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) provide medical care to patients at the scene or in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

5. Paramedic

Average annual US salary (Lightcast™): $53,560 [9]

A paramedic responds to emergencies to provide medical care on the scene.

Where do emergency management professionals work?

In any of the aboveroles, you are prepared to work in a variety of fields and settings, including:

- Government agencies, such as FEMA, OSHA, or US Customs and Border Protection

- Health care providers or institutions

- Educational institutions

- Private corporations in legal, policy, or human resources roles

- Non-profit organizations

- Military facilities 

No matter what career you choose upon earning an emergency management degree, you can pave an exciting path that suits your passions, skills, and previous experience.

Learn with Coursera.

Get an introduction to emergency management by enrolling in the State University of New York's Communication and Leadership during a Public Health Crisis. This 13-hour course is offered as part of SUNY's Leadership for Public Health Crises Specialization and covers how to be a leader in public health, develop effective communication skills, learn how to work with interprofessional teams during a crisis, and explores effective conflict resolution methods.