Emergency management, the next big thing?
National disasters like Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 have changed everything from our views on foreign policy to what degrees we pursue in college. As early back as 1994, only four universities in the U.S. offered programs in emergency management. Today, over one hundred American-based institutions have emergency management, homeland security, and terrorism prevention programs in place, with hundreds more planning to feature these emerging disciplines in the near future.
For those of you unaware of what emergency management entails, one director of homeland security in Kansas gave this humorous explanation of his profession: “My job is to tell you things you don’t want to hear, asking you to spend money you don’t have for something you don’t believe will ever happen.” Although the disasters that emergency managers plan for don’t always occur (e.g., floods and flu epidemics), the preventive measures they take have the potential to save thousands of lives.
Even though the field has been in existence for decades, emergency planning is now considered a formal career path, especially with the explosive growth of related degree programs over the past 15 years. The profession continues to evolve and become more specialized as the years go on, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that emergency management positions will increase 28 percent between 2002 and 2012. Job openings will also increase with the impending retirement of veterans who are responsible for legitimizing the occupation.
If you already have a degree that would facilitate a career as an emergency management specialist, the International Association of Emergency Managers site (iaem.com) has a job board where open positions are posted regularly. Nowadays everyone is looking for emergency managers, from public agencies to volunteer organizations to large corporations like Wal-Mart. Pay within the field varies, but most county directors can expect to make between $60,000 and $100,000 a year.
You can begin earning your degree in emergency management by doing something as simple as contacting one of the schools listed on CollegeCourses.com. Kaplan University offers a certificate in terrorism and national security, while the School of Criminal Justice at Florida Metropolitan University features associate and bachelor degrees in homeland security. University of Phoenix also offers a Master of Administration in Justice & Security. For a full list of institutions that offer online and campus-based classes in emergency management, visit the FEMA site.