Institute for Emergency Preparedness
Graduate Emergency Management
Course Descriptions



EM 505 Foundations of Emergency Management (3)
History of the profession; contemporary emergency management concepts, functions, and practices for government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector.

EM 515 Legal Aspects of Emergency Management (3)
Legal context and constraints for emergency management; administrative law, administrative discretion, and liability.

EM 525 Disaster Recovery (3)
Processes for short- and long-term recovery for individuals, families, and communities; provision of recovery assistance by both public and voluntary sectors. Prerequisite: EM 505.

EM 528 Maritime Transportation Security (3)
Historical aspects of shipping vulnerability including: seaports, ships, cargoes, operations, commerce, government coordination, international security conventions and practices, and related technology. Case studies of recent events and new initiatives in international maritime transportation security will be examined.

EM 530 Research Methods in Emergency Management (3)
Comprehensive coverage of major analytical and statistical tools used in emergency management program administration.

EM 535 Terrorism and Homeland Security (3)
Incident management approaches for domestic and international terrorism; anti- and counter-terrorism organizational roles, responsibilities, and coordination; homeland security initiatives. Prerequisite: EM 5

EM 540Hazard Mitigation (3)
Mitigation concepts, implementation approaches, and planning. Prerequisite: EM 505.

EM 545 Emergency Preparedness (3)
Preparedness frameworks and strategies; techniques of emergency operations planning, exercise design and evaluation, and public education. Prerequisite: EM 505.

EM 548 Vulnerability and Capacity-Building (3)
Individual, social, economic and policy dimensions of vulnerability and client needs for disaster; service delivery strategies, coordination models, resource management and capacity building for nonprofit disaster relief organizations. Prerequisite: EM 505.

EM 555 Disaster Response (3)
Context of disaster response, response functions, assessment, resource mobilization and adjudication, and emergency operations center (EO C) operations. Prerequisite: EM 505.

EM 565 Management Systems in Disaster (3)
Integration of emergency management functions, response structures, technology use, information management, and decision-making. Prerequisite: EM 505, EM 525, and EM 555.

EM 568Crisis Management for Business and Industry (3)
Contingency planning, business impact analysis, business resumption processes, risk/crisis communication and management, disaster recovery and organizational continuity. Prerequisite: EM 505.

EM 570M Biosecurity (3)
Course description: A detailed review of global concerns for biosecurity including the history of biological warfare, bioterrorism, concerns for agroterrorism and current initiatives in biodefense. Included will be a thorough review of specific agents, the diseases they cause, detection methodologies, and consequence management considerations.

EM 575 Health and Medical Aspects of Emergency Management (3)
Surveillance and rapid needs assessment, disaster epidemiology, disaster medical systems and approaches, and disaster mental health. Prerequisites: EM 505

EM 580M Current Issues in Homeland Security (3)
The examination of current issues and concerns with Homeland Security including upcoming National Special Security Events that mandate comprehensive security planning and response capabilities. Innovations and reactions from politicians and citizens will serve to offer students insight into the challenges of implementing and maintaining homeland security.

EM 581M Disaster Analysis (3)
The course will focus on modeling and simulation of high consequence events as a means of preparing emergency managers for future disasters. Several types of high consequence disasters will be examined from the perspectives of preparedness, prevention, decision-making, and effective response.

EM 585M Military Role in Disaster Relief (3)
A historical review of the military role in disaster relief and humanitarian support missions. Primary emphasis will be on recent case studies of major disasters. The course will also discuss the possible expanding role of the military in future natural disasters and CBRN events. Students will conduct a small research project to explore a current issue surrounding the use of the US military in domestically-based incidents.

EM 590 Capstone in Emergency Management (3)
Integration and synthesis of theory and practice for emergency management. Prerequisites: EM 505, EM 525, 530, 540, 545, and 555.

EM 595 Directed Studies (3)
In-depth study of selected topic or special project. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and approval of the program director.

EM 596 Internship (3)
Supervised practice experience in a professional emergency management setting. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and approval of the program director.

EM 598Emergency Management Leadership and Organizational Behavior (3)
Leadership and organizational theory for emergency management; conflict management, use of power, group dynamics, and team performance. Prerequisite: EM 505.