Emergency Management Degree Programs Offered at Walden University
Walden University appears in our ranking of the Top 10 Doctorate Degrees in Emergency Management Online.
Though Walden University offers a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice that can prepare students for working in emergency management fields, it also offers both a master’s degree and a doctoral degree program in emergency management. Both of these programs have an emphasis on criminal justice and the administration of justice programs.
The online Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Executive Management accepts up to 23 credits earned at other schools. It teaches students how to evaluate research to make decisions regarding the health and safety of others. They also learn how the different branches of the government work together and what people can do at the local level to assist individuals at other levels. Students who graduate from this program can work for the FBI, FEMA and other government agencies.
Of the 48 quarter hours of classes that students take, 45 will come from the criminal justice core. They will take Foundations of Graduate Study, which is a course that prepares them for the Walden graduate program. The required classes they take are each worth five credits. Those classes include Organizational Management and Leadership, Criminal Justice Research, Controversies in Criminal Justice, Applied Communications and Finance and Budgeting for the Public Sector. The program includes a capstone called Criminal Justice Ethics and Social Justice too. Also available online from the university is a Master of Science in Criminal Justice, which is a more general program.
The university’s Doctor of Public Administration (DBA) also prepares students for taking on leadership roles within the criminal justice and emergency management fields. Though the program is available online, it has two residency requirements. Students must spend a total of eight days on the Walden University campus to earn their degrees. Those residency sessions ask them to talk about their thoughts and opinions and do work on their capstones under the guidance of their advisors. The university gives students a total of eight years to finish their degrees after enrolling.
This program includes 53 quarter hours of general and foundation classes and at least 20 quarter credits of capstone classes. Those classes include Leadership and Organizational Change, Ethics and Social Justice, Writing Applied Research and Funding Proposals and Analytics for Evidence-Based Decision Making. The Professional Administrative Study course is what students will take as they work on their capstones. That work is similar to the dissertation requirements found in other doctoral programs.
About Walden University
Walden University is a for-profit university that operates entirely online. Unlike other online schools, it does not have any physical campuses. Founded in 1970 as a new program for teachers in Florida, the school originally let teachers meet with professors and work on their dissertations for a few weeks before returning home to their jobs and finishing that work. This college would later move to Minnesota and establish other types of distance learning programs, which eventually grew into online options. The university’s headquarters in Minneapolis allow doctoral students to meet with their professors and complete their residency requirements.
Students attending the university can take online classes that work around their schedules and apply for credits based on the work they already did. Not only does Walden accept transfer credits from other colleges, but it provides students with quarter credits for the certificates they hold and the work they did in their degree fields. Walden University now ranks as one of the largest for-profit schools in the nation and also one of the best online colleges. It has a total enrollment across all its degree programs of more than 51,000 students.
Walden University Accreditation Details
The nursing and education programs offered by Walden University have program accreditation. Walden also has regional accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS). As the NCACS is part of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), its accreditation allows students to get financial aid from the government and to transfer their university and college credits.
Walden University Application Requirements
Walden University highly recommends that prospective students fill out the information request form online. This form asks what they want to study and for some contact information, including the student’s name, email address and phone number. Students also have the option of using the online application. The information they need to fill out the application or submit to the university includes unofficial transcripts from schools if they do not yet have their degrees and official transcripts from the schools where they finished degrees and a resume. This resume should show all the work and professional experience the student has. Walden also requires students to fill out a section on their academic histories. Walden has the same requirements for both graduate and doctoral students.
Walden University offers special programs that allow students to earn credits that will reduce the number of courses they need to take. Students can get credit for any professional certificates that they have and for those who took IB and similar courses. The university asks that students complete applications to apply for prior learning credits. They may need to take exams to demonstrate that they should receive those credits.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students attending Walden University pay $505 per quarter credit and a $150 technology fee each term. The total cost of attending the university is close to $25,000 a year. They can save more than $10,000 if they transfer the maximum number of credits allowed into the program. The university offers information about special financial and savings programs on its website. One of those programs provides any student who lives in the United States with a $3,000 grant.
Doctoral students can qualify for a $5,000 grant for simply living in the United States and beginning a doctoral program. The university also offers a $1,000 book grant, which is helpful because students spend more than $2,000 each year on their books. Doctoral students spend more than $54,000 to earn their degrees from the university. This includes a tuition rate of $615 per quarter hour for all capstone and traditional classes they take. The university also charges $1,375 for each residency session. Students are responsible for covering their lodging and food costs during those sessions. Emergency management majors at Walden University can also use the FAFSA to apply for federal student loans.