If you are interested in pursuing a career in the field of emergency management by obtaining a degree online, you have probably asked yourself an important question: How do potential employers view an online emergency management degree? This is an important question for several reasons, including the fact that job security is a factor that can greatly affect one’s economic stability. By reading the overview found below, you can obtain the information you need in order to make an informed decision regarding whether pursuing your emergency management degree online would help or preclude you from attaining a job.
Emergency Management-The Basics
Although broadly defined, emergency management is basically a field that involves planning to limit, mitigate, or recover from disasters (both natural and man-made) and acts of terror. Although emergency management cannot always eliminate or avert these threats, the field is important because of its ability to mediate and limit the devastating effects of disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, public disorder, industrial sabotage, and more.
How Do Employers View Online Emergency Management Degrees?
If you are thinking about obtaining an emergency management degree online, it’s a good idea for you to obtain a basic understanding of how a degree acquired through distance learning is viewed in the eyes of potential employers. In an important article entitled “Employers on online education,” Rachel Zupek notes the findings of a study regarding employer perception of online degrees. According to the study, “…83 percent of executives in the survey say that an online degree is as credible as one earned through a traditional campus-based program.” This statistic seems promising. However, there is another layer of understanding necessary to grasp whether or not your online degree in emergency management will be viewed favorably by potential employers. In discussing infographic covering this subject, Drexel.com points out that there are three factors that need to be present in order for an employer to view an online degree favorably. They are:
1. Regional Accreditation.
Interestingly, the U.S. News and World Report will only incorporate regionally accredited learning institutions in its list of Best Online Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Programs. It is also important to note that of the executives who believe that online and traditional degrees are essentially equivalent, they all stated that accreditation is the factor that make the degrees acquired through distance learning more credible.
2. Traditional Campus.
When hiring managers consider a job candidate’s online educational credentials, favorability towards the candidate increases if the learning institution has a physical campus. Specifically, favorability for an online school with no physical campus ranked at 42%, while favorability for brick and mortar institutions offering online learning options ranked at 92%.
3. Established Brand.
As indicated by the infographic, HR directors and CEOs afford greater value to online degrees offered from well-known, established learning institutions than to educational centers that are not as well-known.
Conclusion
If you are thinking about pursuing a career in the field of emergency management, you should know that doing so can provide you with a plethora of personal and professional advantages. You should also note that employers have begun viewing online degrees as just as substantive and valid as those attained through the traditional learning environment. However, it is critically important that individuals who opt to obtain their emergency management degree online do so through a learning institution that is accredited, has a traditional campus, and an established brand. Now that you have obtained an answer to the important question “How do potential employers view an online emergency management degree?,” you can determine whether this educational route would be appropriate for you.