This degree attracts students who desire the knowledge and skills needed to serve as professional emergency managers in the public, non-profit and private sectors. Students are exposed to the latest information in Emergency Planning (including COOP), Incident Management Systems (IMS), Disaster Recovery and Homeland Security that prepare them to be effective and ethical emergency managers and to protect their communities from emergency events. This plan features a transfer block route designed to aid community-college graduates towards the completion of a bachelor's degree in a concise time frame.
A Bachelor of Applied Science with a specialization in Emergency Management allows you to gain an understanding of the phases of emergency management: prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery as well as leadership, ethics, budgeting, critical thinking and problem solving. This degree plan emphasizes experiential learning by linking theory to specific problems and case studies. This program will provide you with the knowledge and skills applicable to emergency management careers in the public, non-profit and private sectors. This degree can also prepare you for graduate school.
To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.
The full policy can be viewed here.
In addition to University Requirements:
Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 120 |
| Highest Mathematics Required | MAT 114 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Optional |
| Some online/blended coursework | Required |
| AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A | Recommended |
| Progression Plan Link | View Progression Plan |
Purpose Statement
The purpose of the Emergency Management Program is to provide an outstanding education in the broad-based, interdisciplinary and expanding field of emergency management. All communities are vulnerable to disaster, and emergency management professionals, be it full-time emergency managers or those assuming emergency management responsibilities along with their primary scope of duty, work to protect their communities from emergency events. The Emergency Manager integrates the activities of community stakeholders to effectively prevent, prepare for, protect and mitigate disasters, and when a disaster strikes, to respond and recover. In essence, practitioners of emergency management, regardless of whether they work in the public, private or non-profit sectors, act as stage managers, arranging the set and putting the pieces in place to allow first responders to effectively respond to emergencies. Students studying emergency management at Northern Arizona University receive a strong foundation in this critically important area, thus enhancing their employment prospects, and strengthening their capacity to make vital contributions to their communities and the Nation.
In order to foster students’ success as emergency management practitioners, NAU’s Emergency Management Program emphasizes experiential learning by linking theory to specific professional situations and scenarios. In addition, the Program focuses on vital emergency management components, including the phases of emergency management, Homeland Security, Incident Management Systems, emergency management and homeland security exercise design, development, conduct and evaluation planning, emergency management grants and administration and a basic understanding of the public sector environment, including ethics, in the context of the emergency management field.
Students will discover that NAU’s Emergency Management faculty make the difference! They are a select group of caring, dedicated and knowledgeable faculty who possess years of relevant professional emergency management and public/private sector experience, including current and former City, County and State Emergency Managers, Emergency Management Preparedness Managers and Counterterrorism Specialists. In addition faculty hold numerous emergency management certifications, such as Certified Emergency Manager and Master Exercise Practitioner.
Student Learning Outcomes
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
To be admitted into a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) plan, you must have an associate degree, either completed or in progress, at a regionally accredited institution, and the associate degree must be completed prior to the awarding of the BAS degree.
This Applied Science Specialization, associated with completing an Associate’s Degree at a Community College, requires 45 units distributed as follows:
Designed to help you acquire a general knowledge of management, organizational, and policy issues while advancing your professional communication, and quantitative skills. Some departments may require that you take specific courses from the BAS Requirements or may place other restrictions on the courses that the department requires. Please see department requirements for specific information. Other courses may be used to fulfill the BAS Elective requirements. Please Note: At least 15 units in the core must be upper division (300-400 level) courses.
Communication Block (6 units)
Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.
You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.
We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.