Emergency management is a field that you can study at various levels, and you can earn an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s or even a Doctorate degree, which is the terminal degree in this field. A terminal degree essentially refers to the highest type of degree that you can earn. This field of study specifically looks at how the government and organizations respond to emergencies that occur, including terrorist attacks and natural disasters. Earning a doctoral degree may take you three years or more to earn after obtaining lower level degrees.
What is This Type of Management?
This type of management applies specifically to emergencies and emergency situations that occur with little to no warning. Professionals working in this field may work for the federal, state or local government to identify warning signs of emergencies and create plans that show what people should do in one of those situations. They might research previous disasters to see how people reacted before to create better disaster relief programs. In addition to working on natural disaster cases, including earthquakes and forest fires, they also work in areas relating to diseases and terrorist attacks.
Where Can You Work?
With a PhD in emergency management, you can work in a variety of settings. FEMA hires those with a higher degree to work in disaster prevention and management, but you may find a job working for another organization associated with the federal government. You can also work for local and state governments and for organizations that work with those governments. Some organizations send professionals to cities and states all across the country to discuss the disaster plans and programs currently in place and to identify any potential problems with those plans. You may help stage mock situations to train workers on what to do when a real event occurs too.
Earning a PhD
Though you do not need an Associate’s degree before enrolling in a PhD program, you will need a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree. These programs stress the importance of independent thought and research. Most programs have a dissertation requirement as well. You will need to do independent research on a topic in advanced management and create a detailed paper that you defend in front of professors working for the school. According to FEMA, there are only nine accredited programs of this type in the United States.
Resource: 20 Top Emergency Management Bachelor’s Degree Programs under $23,000 Average Net
Specializing Your Degree
When you reach the graduate and doctorate levels of your studies, you have the chance to specialize your degree. You might focus on crisis management, which looks at how individuals react and respond during unexpected times of crisis. Some students focus more on disaster science, which focuses primarily on natural disasters like earthquakes and tornadoes. The specialization that you choose determines the type of research you do and where you may work later. Other concentrations or specializations that students at the doctoral level might choose include academics, fire and police emergencies, terrorism, communications and disaster relief planning.
No one knows how they might react during an emergency situation, but with a Doctoral degree, you can help others prepare themselves for those future emergencies. Though you will need a graduate degree and a Bachelor’s degree for entering one of these programs, you can earn a Doctorate in Emergency Management from one of nine colleges in the country.