Emergency Management Programs at Jackson State University
Jackson State University appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Affordable Schools for an Emergency Management Degree.
The Department of Emergency Management at Jackson State University is part of the university’s School of Human Services and Social Sciences. It offers three degree programs in emergency management that include a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management, which features 120 credits of work. Students must take 12 credits of electives and 18 credits of required classes in addition to 90 credits of general education courses and electives. Their required classes include Introduction to Disaster Management, Disaster Response and Recovery, Research in Disasters and Emergency Management and Emergency Management Capstone. The university offers a homeland security minor that features courses such as Introduction to Terrorism, Public Information Policy, Current Issues in Homeland Security and Management Systems in Disaster.
Three options are available for graduate students. They can earn a masters or a certificate in emergency management, but they can also complete the university’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) and choose a concentration in emergency management. The main program includes three electives and seven required courses. They will take a capstone class near the end of the program and courses such as Foundations of Emergency Management, Research Methods in Emergency Management, Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Response. The MPA program includes similar classes, while the certificate program only includes 15 credits of courses.
A Doctor of Science in Emergency Management is also available. This is a cohort program that only accepts new students every other year. Though some classes are online, the program includes three seminars that students must do on the Jackson State University campus. They will take one seminar during each of their three years. Some of the classes in the doctoral program include Disaster Management Principles and Practice, Emergency Management Program Management, Advanced Data Analysis and Crisis Leadership and Management. Students will also take courses and do work on a dissertation to earn 18 credits.
About Jackson State University
Jackson State University is a historically all-black university named after the city of Jackson, Mississippi. Established in 1877 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York, it opened as the Natchez Seminary. It was one of the first schools established in Mississippi for black students and one of the only that emphasized religious studies. When the society separated from the seminary in 1934, the state took over its operations and gave it the new name of the Mississippi Negro Training School. Some of the programs offered at the time included education and business. The state renamed the school Jackson State College and then Jackson State University. It also uses the names JSU and Jackson State.
The JSU campus now consists of more than 50 buildings. One of those buildings still has scars on the outside from a protest in the 1970s where police officers fired shots into the crowd and killed several students. Students today still protest hot button issues and support local groups. Though 75% of its students are from Mississippi, Illinois, Louisiana and Tennessee also send students to the university. Washington Monthly ranks JSU as the nation’s 32nd best university, while Forbes and U.S. News and World Report rank Jackson State within the top 500 of American colleges. JSU awarded an honorary degree to Michelle Obama in 2016 when she was still the First Lady and saw thousands of people come to the campus for the ceremony.
Jackson State University Accreditation Details
Though Jackson State does not have accreditation for its emergency management degree programs, it does have accreditation for some of its others, including its education, public health, and art and design programs. The main accreditation that the university holds is regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). SACS accreditation is what lets students in need use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and transfer their college credits to the university.
Jackson State University Application Requirements
The admissions requirements for incoming freshmen include a completed online application and an official score from the SAT or the ACT. Though the university asks for transcripts, it allows students to submit a preliminary transcript that shows at least six semesters of work. They will need to submit a final transcript after they finish high school and before they start college. Their transcripts must include at least 16 units of math, science, social science, arts and English classes. JSU also requires that students enrolling in an on-campus program provide their immunization records.
Graduate students applying to any of the JSU emergency management programs must meet the same requirements and complete the same steps. They can submit the university’s application and pay the $35 fee online. JSU requires official transcripts from any schools of higher learning they attended and an official score from the MAT, GMAT or GRE. Graduate students must also go online and download copies of the Graduate Reference Form. They will give their references this form and ask them to complete and mail back the documents to the university. These forms replace the letters of recommendation that the university once required. Doctoral students must complete the same steps and provide a resume and a statement of purpose. JSU has an application deadline of January 30 for these programs.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Jackson State charges different rates for undergraduate and graduate/doctoral students. Undergrads pay $325 per credit hour as a Mississippi resident and $845 per credit hour as a nonresident. Students also pay various fees that bring their costs to $433 per credit hour as a resident and $933 per credit hour as a nonresident. Both graduate and doctoral students pay either a resident or a nonresident rate. This rate comes to $548 per credit hour for residents and $1,048 per credit hour for nonresidents.
There are four scholarship programs available from the university for emergency management majors. Some of these programs are only available for students applying to certain programs and those who are members of specific organizations. The IAEM Scholarship provides funds to any student enrolled full-time in an emergency management program. JSU students can use both scholarships and any financial aid they get through the FAFSA. The FAFSA helps all students qualify for direct and PLUS loans from the government as well as work study and grants. All the emergency management degree programs at Jackson State University include financial aid opportunities for returning and new students.