Studying Emergency Management at Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Emergency Management Degree Online Programs.
Western Carolina University offers a Bachelor of Science in Emergency and Disaster Management for students who want to work for government agencies and nonprofit organizations. As some of the students in the program currently work as police officers and in fire departments, the university offers it as an online program. As long as students log in and complete their course requirements each week, they can pass their classes and earn their degrees. They typically take at least one quiz each week and post on a discussion board.
This program includes 42 credits of liberal arts courses that make up the general education core. Students will take EMC Systems Management, Crisis Communications and 15 credits of other emergency management electives. They can also take 29 credits of more of electives from other departments. The major core of this program consists of 28 credits and includes courses such as Emergency Planning and Introduction to Emergency and Disaster Management. Another required course is Social Dimensions of a Disaster. This unique class looks at how people living in an area react to disaster situations and how that disaster can impact locals.
Homeland Security is another required course in this program. It focuses on the role of this government agency and what it does during disasters. The course can help students decide if they want to work for that agency or another one. Disaster Response and Operations and Management is a course that goes over how organizations respond to disaster situations and how they organize and manage relief efforts. Students will also take courses called Methods of Disaster Research and do a final research project.
Western Carolina University offers both an emergency and disaster management major and minor. Those who choose a minor in this subject will take some of the same required courses, but they usually do not need to do a final project. A Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science is a related degree program available from the university. This program focuses more on environmental issues but includes some management courses. Students can enroll in the emergency and disaster management program and declare a minor in environmental science.
About Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is one of the five oldest schools in the University of North Carolina system. Established in 1899 as the Cullowhee Academy, it received a charter a few years later that allowed it to operate as a high school. When the state decided to open a new normal school, it picked this campus as the location of that school. It first operated as an industrial and normal training academy before becoming a full normal school. After receiving a second state charter, the school became a state teachers college and offered four-year degree programs. It dropped teaching from its title and became the Western Carolina College after adding more than just teaching programs to its curriculum. It didn’t gain the Western Carolina University name until the 1960s.
Now known as both Western Carolina University and WCU, the university maintains a campus in Cullowhee. There are also two regional study centers located in other cities that allow students to earn WCU degrees. Students can also take one to two years of classes at a local community college and then transfer into the UNC system or to WCU itself. Many students like the campus because of its close proximity to ski resorts and other recreational areas. More than 11,000 students take classes from WCU annually.
Western Carolina University Accreditation Details
To complete the FAFSA and get access to federal student aid, students must attend a college with regional accreditation. WCU has its regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Students who want to transfer in AP credits and other types of college credits can do this because of that accreditation. WCU has accreditation for many of its other degree programs also.
Western Carolina University Application Requirements
WCU offers an early decision deadline for students who want to know as soon as possible if they got into the university. Those who submit their applications by November 15 will get a response around the middle of December. Students can also submit their applications by January 1 and get a response around the beginning of February. If the university still has spots remaining in its freshmen class, it will accept applications completed beyond this deadline.
Prospective undergrads must fulfill the academic requirements set by the state. This includes taking four years of English and math courses, three years of life and physical science classes with a lab and two years of social science, history, and foreign language classes. Depending on the number of foreign language classes they took in high school and their fluency, some students may test out and skip taking any foreign languages at the college level. Students will also submit an official test score and the WCU application. The university can provide students with waivers that cover its application fee too.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The North Carolina Promise Tuition Plan is a plan established by the state to help students afford the cost of college. This plan significantly reduces the tuition charged by state and public schools for those who take online classes and nonresidents who take classes on a traditional campus. Undergrads who take at least 12 classes in the same semester will pay just $3,404 per term as a North Carolina resident. Nonresidents pay $5,404 per term to take 12 credits too. Students may need to pay extra fees for courses they take in specific departments. They also pay at least $5,000 a term for room and board.
WCU has a deadline of February 1 for students who want to apply for any of its scholarships. It offers both need and merit scholarships as well as academic scholarships. The university gives students academic and merit scholarships based on their applications and transcripts, but it uses the FAFSA to identify those who qualify for its need scholarships. Students should still file the FAFSA by January 1 and submit a separate application for the university’s scholarships. The FAFSA helps the university decide which students deserve other types of financial aid, including employment opportunities, grants, and loans. Emergency and disaster management majors attending Western Carolina University can apply for both scholarships and government financial aid.