Spotlight on Emergency Services Management
Bachelor’s Degree Program Reflects Rapidly Growing Industry
Success is not only about what you know—it is also about who you know. Union’s undergraduate emergency services management program provides a unique opportunity for students from all over the country to take online courses with other professionals who are working in the field.
“The majority of our emergency services faculty are either active-duty or retired emergency response professionals with several years of experience,” said Professor Jim Babcock, Associate Program Chair of the Emergency Services Management Program. “This level of expertise helps students cultivate a professional network with other departments and build strong relationships with internal and external partners.”
The unique cohort class format in the emergency services management program gives students the opportunity to network with other professionals among their classmates.
A new Union emergency services cohort recently opened in Colerain Township in Ohio. The students comprise a diverse group including dedicated emergency services employees, a recipient of the Service Medal for Operation Desert Storm, several former Marines, one former Navy Hospital Corpsman, a former ski patrol responder and a captain with the Colerain Township Fire Department—who, after 28 years of employment in fire services is looking forward to finally finishing his bachelor’s degree.
“Union is a diamond in the rough,” says Terry Ramsey, Fire Chief in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduate of Union Institute & University’s emergency services management program. “You can go to any number of universities in the area, but very few of them truly understand what it is like to work in this profession. Every professor I had was great and I really felt like they were invested when I was in class with them.”
In addition to managerial, legal, and ethical topics covered in the program, the emergency services management program has a special focus on emergency and disaster preparedness, homeland security, and critical incident management. The degree “provides Union students with an innovative option to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree uniquely tailored to meet the administrative requirements of careers in a rapidly growing industry,” said Professor Babcock.
Certificate in Homeland Security
Due to heightened awareness of terrorist threats and the occurrence of region-wide natural disasters, the emergency management field is growing and it is not predicted to decrease any time soon. Employment in this industry is expected to grow 13 percent by 2020 with a median salary of $67,000 for emergency managers, according to US News & World Report.
In response to the growing security needs around terrorism, Union Institute & University offers a Certificate in Homeland Security to provide students with an additional qualification in the emergency services job market.
The Certificate in Homeland Security includes a core course in Homeland Security and two electives focused on terrorism, extremism and weapons of mass destruction. Professor Babcock said, “The certificate will give students an increased understanding of the resources at their disposal to respond to terrorist threats within their communities.”
Accelerated Degree Program
Union is dedicated to assisting emergency service professionals in finishing their degrees quickly. The program is transfer-credit friendly. Students must complete 48 course credit hours with Union, but they could potentially receive up to 90 transfer hours with all of their transfer credits, training and experience counted toward their degree.
The emergency services degree program not only provides students with the critical decision-making skills needed to manage emergency service organizations, analyze issues that affect first responders, and create effective plans for emergency and disaster situations, but Union Institute & University also provides students with the professional networking support to help them thrive in their careers even after they graduate.