Emergency Management Programs at Columbia Southern University
Check out our list of Online Emergency Management Degree Programs.
Columbia Southern University offers several ways to study emergency management with degrees and emphases available in emergency medical services, fire science, homeland security, and emergency services management. Students can pursue bachelor’s or master’s degrees in several of these fields, as well as enroll in certificate programs for certain courses of study.
For students interested in working in leadership and administrative roles in emergency services, the university offers its Bachelor of Science in Emergency Medical Services Administration. Students will study the regulatory issues and the legal and political environments of modern EMS systems. To complete the program, students must take 120 credits with the option to transfer 90 credits of previous work into the program. Students can begin their program online in emergency medical services administration at any time when they enroll in the LifePace Learning option at the university.
Students interested in studying fire prevention and fire protection can choose from three options with an Associate of Science in Fire Science, a Bachelor of Science in Fire Administration, and an available concentration in the bachelor’s degree program in Fire Investigation. Classes a student may take in the program include Principles of Fire & Emergency Services, Fire Behavior & Combustion, Introduction to Fire Prevention, and Fire Protection Structure & Systems.
The third area of study open to students interested in emergency management is homeland security with two available degree options. Students may pursue a Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security or a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Cyber Security with a concentration in Homeland Security. Students will cover many topics when they study homeland security including counterterrorism, cyber networks, disaster resilience, critical infrastructure, immigration, and border management.
The final options for students studying emergency management at Columbia Southern University are the Master of Science in Emergency Services Management or the Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Emergency Services Management. These programs require that students have already earned a bachelor’s degree when they apply. Students must complete a minimum of 36 credits to receive their degree and may transfer up to 18 previously earned credits into the program. Classes a student may take include Global Terrorism, Advanced Toxicology, and Advanced Fire Administration.
About Columbia Southern University
Columbia Southern University was founded in the early 1990s and developed programs in occupational safety and health, environmental engineering, business, computer science, health administration, and criminal justice over the next several years. The university is a family-owned university that is for-profit and offers the majority of its programs online. More than 21,000 students attend the school, which has its headquarters in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The school’s official colors are gold and navy blue, and the university is comprised of three colleges that offer a total of 26 degrees. The university also offers more than 20 certificate programs, as well as a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree. The university won the Catalyst Award for Exemplary Courses in 2017 from Blackboard, Inc.
Columbia Southern University Accreditation Details
Columbia Southern University is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and was first accredited in 2001. The DEAC is a part of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which is recognized by the Department of Education as a national accrediting agency. The university will undertake its next accreditation cycle during the 2020 to 2021 school year.
The university is also an institutional member of the American Council on Education (ACE) and is part of the Higher Education Transfer Alliance, which is a group of universities and colleges that work together to ensure the transferability of credits and degrees between schools when a student transfers to another institution or enters another degree program.
Columbia Southern University Application Requirements
Admission criteria for Columbia Southern University include having a high school diploma or its equivalent, submitting the official application, and providing valid demographic and personal information including an address, phone, and email address. Students who have not yet earned a high school diploma or their GED may be granted conditional admission for the first 12 semester hours of their enrollment.
Applicants to the master’s programs at Columbia Southern University require that students submit a completed application and have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Students may also qualify for conditional admission until they can provide official transcripts to the university. Students interested in the doctoral program in business must similarly submit the official application, as well as have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition for students at Columbia Southern University is $225 per credit hour for undergraduate courses $300 per credit hour for graduate courses and $375 for doctoral courses. Students may participate in a tuition discount program known as Learning Partners which drops the tuition to $202.50 for undergraduate classes, $370 for graduate courses, and $337.50 for doctoral courses. Tuition rates may increase each year by a small amount.
According to figures published by the university, tuition rates for Columbia Southern University are lower than the national average for college tuition, and they’re also lower than many other for-profit schools. The university also offers tuition discounts for active-duty military students and charges $250 per credit hour to those students.
Since Columbia Southern University is an accredited institution, students can apply for and qualify to receive federal student aid that may include Pell Grants or loans through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. Pell Grants that a student receives do not need to be repaid, and a student only needs to demonstrate financial need in order to receive one of these federal grants. Student loans may be awarded to the student or to the student’s parents. In addition to loans and grants, students may also qualify for a variety of scholarships designed to help students cover the cost of tuition.
New students may qualify for the Knight Scholarship, and military veterans may qualify for the Forever Hero Scholarship. Specialized scholarships include the Safety Scholarship for students in the occupational safety and health program and several scholarships for students studying criminal justice. Students in the M.S. Emergency Services Management program at Columbia Southern University may want to apply for one of the fire & emergency services scholarships that come from organizations like Atlanta Fire Rescue and National Fallen Fire Fighters (NFFF).