2023-2024

Emergency Management, Undergraduate Certificate

NAU Yuma

Provost Office

A Certificate in Emergency Management allows you to gain an understanding of the phases of emergency management, along with specific information related to Incident Management Systems, Emergency Planning, Homeland Security and Disaster Recovery in Emergency Management.  Whether you are a full-time emergency manager or taking on emergency responsibilities as part of other job duties, the knowledge you gain in this Certificate program provides you with the tools you need to serve as a trained professional working to protect your community from emergency events.

  • To receive an undergraduate certificate (at least 15 units) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject matter areas with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0.

    Please be aware that federal financial aid is not available for some certificates if the certificate is pursued and completed as a stand-alone certificate (i.e., not completed concurrently with a degree program). See the "Details" tab for additional information.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion 18
Some online/blended coursework Required

Purpose Statement:

The purpose of the emergency Management Program is to provide an outstanding education in the boad-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 of 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 a 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 certification such as Certified Emergency Manager and Master Exercise Practitioner.

Student Learning Outcomes

Communication Skills
  • Students will be able to provide logically coherent pieces of written work
  • Students will be able to effectively organize and orally deliver content based on audience and purpose
Emergency Management
  • Demonstrate the ability to communicate in an effective manner
  • Apply and/or practice critical thinking in coursework
  • Provide relevant examples of ethical concepts in the public sector
  • Comprehend the importance of leadership, and demonstrate the knowledge and ability to model leadership skills in the public sector
  • Apply and integrate the principles and practices of emergency management: prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery
  • Describe the budgeting process in the public sector

Certificate Requirements

  • This certificate may be pursued and completed concurrently with a degree program or as a stand-alone certificate. Federal financial aid cannot be used if the certificate is completed as a stand-alone certificate.

  • Students enrolled in this certificate may not enroll in or pursue the following due to the number of overlapping units:

Additional Information

  • 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.