A degree in emergency management can be exciting because the environment is constantly changing. Most often, those who work in emergency management have to travel to where a natural or man-made disaster occurs. While they may not be right in the middle of it, they may be close by, running a command center or organizing the resources needed to effectively manage the disaster. Furthermore, the career field in emergency management has been growing by about twenty percent per year, giving it a “bright outlook” with many career options for graduates.
What You Learn
While going through the courses needed for an emergency management masters degree, you will learn a variety of skills and theories to help both cities and citizens recover from disasters. One of the more important things you will learn during the coursework is the political and socioeconomic nuances of a disaster. Furthermore, you will also learn about economics, ethics, and municipal planning.
Learning in the classroom is helpful as you learn theories and how to plan for a disaster, but it also takes getting out and doing it in person to really understand how to properly manage a disaster. Mock disaster scenarios will be set up and students will be assigned different roles. While this mock disaster is being carried out, you must apply what you learned in class to manage public communication, delivery emergency services, and properly take command in a disaster situation. This is an important part of practicing and learning important skills that cannot be taught in the classroom.
Where You Can Work
Once you have completed and graduated the program, it is time to look at your career prospects. There are many available, as emergency management is an in-demand field. Organizations that commonly search for graduates with their master’s degree include: local governments, regional governments, public agencies, health agencies, uniformed services, and private sector companies. Furthermore, you may decide to work with humanitarian organizations to help coordinate supplies and healthcare after a natural disaster happens, or you could become a military-civilian emergency liaison. There is a variety of possibilities available once you receive your master’s degree.
Emergency managers receive education and training to see the overall picture of the disaster. They take into consideration resources, organization, and preparation in the case of a natural or manmade disaster. Emergency managers are essential to any city or town to make sure everyone is properly prepared in case these events do happen. Some emergency managers teach regular training sessions so others can stay up-to-date with the latest policies and procedures, who then, in turn, teach others. Emergency managers work with people in a variety of organizations to train, educate, and help make plans for different facilities. Some examples would be helping a university make a plan in case a shooting happened on campus or in case a devastating storm comes through. Emergency managers have to be readily available and able to leave at a moment’s notice when a disaster does happen so as to coordinate the rescue effort.