Emergency Management - FAQs

Emergency management is a rapidly growing profession for those who want to learn how to lead organizations in preparing for, responding to, recovering from, and mitigation emergencies and disasters.

The Emergency Management program is a bachelor’s in science degree offered entirely online by the State University of New York, Canton College of Technology (SUNY Canton). The program’s first courses were offered starting in October, 2006. While the program is offered entirely online, on-campus students are involved in the Emergency Management Club and International Emergency Management Student Association (forming) and have been involved as observers, evaluators, and sim-cell operators in disaster exercises, workshops and conferences involving the Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Coast Guard, New York State Emergency Management Office, Custom’s and Border Protection, local emergency management agencies, and other local, state and Federal agencies.

If you are not a New York resident and want to minimize your out-of-pocket costs, the flexible schedule available at SUNY-Canton can help you achieve your goals – and at a very modest cost. For example, if a student were to take 9-11 hours in both Fall and Spring semesters (a mixture of 2, 3 or 4 credit hour courses), they could then also take 3 credit hours during the college’s popular Winterterm (between Fall and Spring semesters) and 3-9 credit hours during one of the Summer terms. By taking advantage of these options, a student should be able to take a full-time load (30 credit hours per year) at part-time rates.

Jobs in emergency management can be found in government (federal, state and local), business and industry, and non-profit agencies (American Red Cross). An excellent site for looking at current employment opportunities is the International Association of Emergency Managers.

The requirement for the Bachelor’s of Science degree can be found at EADM Description.

Course descriptions for the program are located at: EADM Course Descriptions.

Completing a Culminating Experience Internship would be highly advisable for anyone whom is not presently working in the emergency management field or a related field. For those who are presently employed in this or related professions, a Senior Project option is available. Students may also substitute additional emergency management electives to satisfy this requirement.

Information about transferring into the EADM program can be found on the Admissions website. Essentially, after you have applied to SUNY-Canton, and your college transcripts have been received, they will be evaluated in the appropriate Dean’s office. Transfer Students with an associate degree can usually easily complete the program in two-years (depending upon the number of General Education Requirements (GER’s) they have already completed).