Emergency Management Degrees Offered at Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Emergency Management Degree Online Programs.
Grand Canyon University offers two specific undergraduate degrees and one graduate program in emergency management. The undergraduate degrees are a Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management and a Bachelor of Science in Public Safety and Emergency Management. The graduate program is a Master of Science in Leadership with an Emphasis in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. All of the programs are offered through the university’s Colangelo College of Business. Each incorporates business, planning, risk management, project management and other related topics at levels appropriate to graduate and undergraduate study. Some of the core courses in the undergraduate degrees are Emergency Operations and Techniques; Mitigation Planning; Disaster Response and Recovery; Terrorism’s Impact; and Project Management. Each degree program includes an action research project.
About Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University is a leading private university founded in 1949. It is a Christian school and integrates Christian doctrine and biblical ethics in all functional areas, spanning administration, teaching and students’ learning. Grand Canyon University is a rather large school in terms of student population. There are 19,500 students at the physical campus near downtown Phoenix and more than 60,700 students enrolled in the school’s broad range of online degree programs. Grand Canyon University is committed to maintaining small class sizes and a low student-faculty ratio in all classes. Average class size both at the physical campus and online is 20 students, and many classes are even smaller. Grand Canyon University maintains a student-faculty ratio of 16:1. Until 2017, Grand Canyon University regularly appeared on the U.S. News and World Report list of Best Colleges in the Regional Universities (West), Tier 2 division. The school’s administration since has chosen not to participate in the magazine’s annual rankings.
Grand Canyon University Accreditation Details
Grand Canyon University’s full and unrestricted accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission was reaffirmed in March 2017, meaning that the school’s accreditation was extended for a period of ten years without any requirements for program monitoring or interim reports. Grand Canyon University also holds regional accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Grand Canyon University’s bachelor and master degree programs are offered through its Colangelo College of Business. The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) accredits several of the bachelor and master programs offered by Grand Canyon University’s Colangelo College of Business.
Grand Canyon University Application Requirements
Most of the students enrolled in Grand Canyon University’s online programs are older working adults who may or may not have some college credits gained at an earlier time either through Grand Canyon University or at other schools. The school also welcomes high school graduates who have no previous college experience. Because of the diversity of students that Grand Canyon University serves, the school offers an array of paths to qualify for admission. In undergraduate programs, the admissions processes differ for on-ground and online study but minimum requirements are the same for each division.
Those with no earlier college experience will need to be able to offer a high school diploma or evidence of successful completion of a GED program. The school’s first assessment is on the basis of GPA. Those who cannot meet the GPA standard but can offer acceptable test scores still can be admitted into Grand Canyon University’s undergraduate degree programs.
- Minimum unweighted GPA with a high school diploma is 3.0 or greater, or a minimum 2.5 GPA with acceptable qualifying college entrance exam scores.
- GED students must be able to demonstrate a minimum cumulative score of 680 for the 2014 and later series. GED students also must provide transcripts of all courses bearing academic credit.
- Grand Canyon University accepts test scores from both the ACT and SAT college entrance exams. Qualifying score on the ACT exam is 19. Qualifying scores for the SAT exam vary according to test date. The minimum SAT score for those testing after March 2016 is 1000 on the 1600-point scale. Those testing on the 2400-point scale that existed prior to March 2016 must have a combined reading and math score of 1380.
Admission requirements for undergraduate transfer students vary according to the number of transferrable credits each student presents for transfer credit.
- When offering 25 – 90 transferrable credits, the student must hold an unweighted GPA of at least 2.25 and provide full transcripts listing all credits and grades.
- When transferring 6 – 24 transferrable credits, acceptable minimum unweighted GPA increases to 2.75. Each prospective transfer student must provide all applicable transcripts.
- If seeking to transfer 1 – 5 credits, high school admission requirements apply.
- Those transfer students who already have completed a bachelor degree must be able to demonstrate degree completion with a GPA of at least 2.0, along with transcripts.
Applicants to graduate programs can pursue one of two acceptable routes to gaining admission. The first is to demonstrate an undergraduate degree from any accredited institution that Grand Canyon University has approved. Direct acceptance in this manner requires a minimum overall GPA of 2.8.
Graduate applicants who cannot meet minimum GPA requirements still may be eligible for admission on the basis of graduate admission test scores. Minimum acceptable score for the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is 500. Those testing through the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must have minimum scores of 300 combined verbal and quantitative if testing after August 2011 or 1000 combined on the GRE exam taken prior to August 2011.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Common tuition patterns of lower cost for online courses and higher costs for graduate study hold true at Grand Canyon University. Because Grand Canyon University is a private school, there is no distinction between in-state and out-of-state students. Annual tuition for traditional on-ground students is $16,500. Part time undergraduate students at the physical campus pay $687.50 per credit hour for up to 11 credit hours. The per-semester charge of $8,250 applies for 12 or more credit hours. Online charges are based on credit hour and vary from $250 to $470 according to degree program. Grand Canyon University maintains many programs approved by the Veterans Administration, including all of its emergency management degree programs. Undergraduate students who are Active Duty and Active Reserve pay only $250 per credit. Most online students within undergraduate Emergency Management programs pay $470 per credit hour.
Graduate students enrolled in the Master’s in Homeland Security and Emergency Management Program pay $575 per credit for the 34-credit program. Tuition cost is the same for the online and evening programs.
Grand Canyon University offers all standard forms of financial aid. There are several scholarships available for undergraduate study, most of which are limited to traditional students enrolled in classes at the physical campus. Grants are available from a variety of sources focusing on Emergency Management programs. Student loans are available to virtually everyone, of course. Grand Canyon University urges all prospective students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and provides a link on its website.
Grand Canyon University offers a solid range of both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in emergency management.