Emergency Management Degree Programs at North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University appears in our ranking of the Top 10 Doctorate Degrees in Emergency Management Online.
The Department of Emergency Management at North Dakota State University offers degree programs for students who want to prepare others for and take action during different types of emergencies. Students in the undergraduate program have access to dozens of different courses, including Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Mitigation, Spatial Analysis in Emergency Management, Issues in Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Theory, Research and Practice. To earn their degrees, students must do internships too. The university asks that students do their internships after taking some required courses and that they complete their work experiences in their junior or senior years. They have the option of working for nonprofit organizations, major corporations or for any branch of the government.
North Dakota State University recommends that undergrads take a look at some of the minors that go along with the emergency management program such as the vulnerability and capacity building minor. This minor focuses on how natural disasters and other emergencies can affect where and how people live. It includes courses on preparing homes and buildings for disasters and finding alternative housing options for residents after a disaster. Some of the other minors that the university recommends for its students include homeland security and risk and resilience management.
At the graduate level, the university offers both an emergency management program with a thesis and one without a thesis. The non-thesis track, also called the comprehensive track, features 39 credits of courses and asks students to do an independent study project. Those in the thesis track will do both a thesis and a practicum, though they will need to get approval before doing a thesis. Emergency management graduate students in both programs will take some of the same courses, including Recovery Theory and Practice, Voluntary Agency Disaster Services, Preparedness Theory and Practice and Comprehensive Emergency Management Planning.
North Dakota State University now offers a doctoral program in emergency management too. This program asks students to take at least six credits of classes from different fields, including emergency management and theory and methods. Some of those classes include Mitigation Theory and Practice, Advanced Research Methods and Applied Statistics. Students will also take three courses that go along with their practicums and courses that relate to their dissertation work.
About North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University is the shortened name given to the North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. Established in 1890, it is the oldest university in North Dakota. Called the North Dakota Agriculture College in its early years, it would later adopt its current name and use the nickname NDSU. In addition to a large campus in Fargo, it also operates a Downtown Campus and nine extension centers in other cities in North Dakota. Though Washington Monthly ranks NDSU as the 178th best university in America, both Forbes and U.S. News and World Report consider it one of the best colleges in the country. Across all its extension centers and campuses, NDSU has an enrollment of more than 14,000 students.
North Dakota State University Accreditation Details
NDSU has regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and its North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS). This is why university students can transfer credits to and from the university as needed. It’s also one of the requirements that allow students in need to apply for financial aid and get funds from both the federal government and the state government.
North Dakota State University Application Requirements
Students with an interest in the university’s graduate or doctoral emergency management program should schedule a call with an NDSU representative and/or schedule a campus tour. During the phone call, students can ask any questions they might have and find out what the university requires of them. They can then complete the three stages in the application process. The first stage includes submitting the online application, their transcripts, two writing samples, and three reference letters. NDSU prefers academic references to professional references. Students who do not have a graduate degree must also submit their GRE scores. During the second stage, students will interview for a spot in the program. The university will notify students of their approval and financial aid packages during the third phase.
Incoming freshmen who want to major in emergency management should submit transcripts that show they finished a curriculum that included four years of English, three years of math and life and social science and one year of elective classes. Their transcripts should also show that they had a GPA of 2.75 or higher in high school. NDSU also asks for an official test score and recommends a minimum score of 1100 on the SAT or 22 on the ACT. Students who are over the age of 19 can apply with a GED score rather than a high school transcript.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The estimated cost of attending NDSU for undergrads is $7,957 per year. This rate only applies to North Dakota residents though. Residents of Minnesota pay $8,912 per year, while residents of Montana, South Dakota and different parts of Canada pay $9,548 per year. All other students pay a higher nonresident rate of $11,936 each year. Undergrads also pay fees of $1,337 every year an annual room and board cost of $8,600. Graduate students who are North Dakota residents pay $360 per credit hour. Other graduate students pay $458 per credit hour as a Minnesota resident, $540 per credit hour as a resident of a surrounding state or Canada and $630 per credit hour if they live in any other state.
NDSU offers discounts for the children and spouses of alumni and the children and spouses of employees who work for the university. Those students get up to a 50% discount on their tuition. Those students and those who do not get discounts can also use the FAFSA, which they need to file by the late spring. This is what determines the type of state and federal aid awarded to students such as a Pell grant or a subsidized or unsubsidized student loan. Some institutional aid such as university scholarships is also available. North Dakota State University offers financial aid for emergency management students that they can use when taking traditional courses or doing their practicums and fieldwork.