Today’s emergency management professionals are facing a more challenging environment than ever. Across the globe, communities are reckoning with the rising costs and frequency of disasters, which are becoming more variable, complex, and difficult to predict.
Global organizations must be prepared to handle risk and threats in a number of areas, such as cybersecurity, infectious disease, human-made hazards, and climate and weather-related emergencies. Between 2016 and 2020, climate and weather-related disasters alone cost the U.S. an excess of $600 billion, or an average of $121.3 billion per year. The types of emergencies are vast, and the needs of impacted populations vary based on the unique characteristics of each community.
There has never been a more pressing need for competent, skilled, and ethical emergency management professionals. USC Bovard College’s online MS in Emergency Management offers a rigorous curriculum, with a unique focus on building resilience and community engagement in emergency planning, execution, and recovery. As a student in this program, you will develop essential leadership, strategic and tactical skills to help you manage your toughest challenges.
Sources: Climate.gov (2021) 2020 U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters in Historical Context.
Solving complex emergency management problems
Effective emergency management leadership is determined by the ability to think critically about situations as they arise. Disasters and emergencies are often evolving in real-time, challenging leaders to problem solve as events unfold.
As an MSEM student, you will take Critical Decision-Making in Emergency Management to learn the skills needed to mitigate severe outcomes. The program prepares leaders to analyze information from a variety of sources, including in the absence of reliable information, in order to make informed decisions throughout the disaster life cycle.
Emergency managers must also be equipped to work in inherently political environments. Students will examine the policies and regulations that impact all phases of emergency management, including domestic and international regulations that would affect their efforts.
Communication and collaboration
Emergency Management is an inherently multi-sector field, and leaders are expected to coordinate and collaborate with stakeholders across private and public sectors. Our MSEM program will prepare students for the dynamic communications challenges emergency management leaders face. This includes evaluating emerging technologies and adapting communication styles for a range of partners. In addition, you’ll take Social and Cultural Competency in Emergency Management and learn how these intersectional nuances are imperative for effective communication in emergency situations.
Ethical leadership
Emergency managers have an ethical responsibility to prevent disproportionate effects on vulnerable communities when disasters strike. As an MSEM student, you will develop an understanding of how to build resilience within communities, prior to, during, and after an emergency takes place. You’ll learn planning, response and mitigation measures that can serve to proactively protect communities and their resources. Leadership is integrated throughout the curriculum, and students will examine various leadership theories for decision-making and learn how to drive successful outcomes in both steady-state and crisis situations.
Our holistic, applied curriculum will prepare you for the toughest challenges. No matter where your career takes you, our online Master of Science in Emergency Management program will ensure you’re ready to be a leader in the field.
More Info