The Bachelor's degree in Emergency Management

This degree is now offered both online and faculty based, so you do not need to quit your current job to pursue a career change to one of emergency management. Check the entry requirements carefully and ask a good friend if you have the majority of personal skills in the following list:

• Strong leadership skills
• Organizational skills
• Attention to detail
• Good planner, able to see the big picture
• Good communicator with proven problem solving ability
• Able to multitask, particularly in a stressful situation

Expect to start at entry level after graduation but also expect to be promoted rapidly if you can demonstrate the skills required. People who hold a Bachelor degree level of education can also expect to be better compensated for the work they do.

The basic skills taught will include technical writing, public speaking, statistics, humanities and social sciences. Once you have the grounding required in these basic skills the course will concentrate on the more specialized skills required. These include cultural studies, public administration, the behaviour of organizations, project management and presentation skills.

Higher Degrees in Emergency Management

If you already have a Bachelors degree then you may want to consider a higher degree in emergency management. This type of degree will prepare you for a major role within law enforcement agencies or the police or fire departments. The program is intensive and combines both coursework and field experience. You will also be expected to write a final thesis or demonstrate an actual solution to a real world problem.

The highest qualification is a Doctorate in emergency management and these attract those high flyers who want the most senior positions in the industry. You will be expected to be able to quickly grasp the bigger picture and act strategically to resolve the issues and also to develop emergency management policy including the effective consideration of both ethical and moral issues.

Possible Career Paths With a Emergency Management Degree

Once qualified, you will need to consider the career path that you want to follow. One possible role is that of an emergency response specialist. Not for the faint hearted, these roles require a clear head under pressure and the ability to think clearly and decisively so that a situation can be brought under control quickly and with minimal risk and damage.

Anti-terrorism agencies also offer potential job roles for the holder of an emergency management degree as they seek to prevent terrorist attacks and disruption through the use of appropriate counter-intelligence. This requires a detailed knowledge of cultural themes and processes and also the ability to piece together fragmented pieces of information to form a coherent whole.

Security management is another lucrative field in which to work. You could, for example, head up the security organisation of a major corporation and you will need a good working knowledge of patrolling, guarding, alarms and camera systems and also various surveillance tools and techniques.

Whatever role you choose you can be guaranteed a rewarding, lucrative and ultimately challenging career in the field of emergency management so get that qualification now!