10 Most Affordable Bachelor’s in Emergency Management

Get­ting a good edu­ca­tion can be extreme­ly expen­sive. For prospec­tive stu­dents who want to earn an afford­able emer­gency man­age­ment degree — whether they are tra­di­tion­al-aged stu­dents just start­ing out, or work­ing adults going back to school — tuition costs can be daunt­ing. When you decide to return to school to earn your degree or sim­ply advance your career, you want to find cost-effec­tive ways to com­plete the task. Find­ing a low-cost uni­ver­si­ty degree pro­gram or start­ing in a com­mu­ni­ty col­lege are good ideas.

For stu­dents who are already work­ing, ask­ing your employ­er to share the expense with you is a great idea and ben­e­fi­cial to both par­ties. Employ­er reim­burse­ment pro­grams are a great way for an employ­ee to advance and also help their com­pa­ny suc­ceed in the process. The stu­dent pays for their school­ing and com­pletes each class accord­ing to the sched­ule. For each class that is com­plet­ed suc­cess­ful­ly, the employ­er will reim­burse the stu­dent for the cost of their tuition.

Methodology: Ranking the Most Affordable Emergency Management Degrees

The Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter rank­ing of the Most Afford­able Emer­gency Man­age­ment Degree Pro­grams is based on tuition cost, accord­ing to cur­rent IPEDS data, but that’s not all. Only trust­wor­thy, accred­it­ed col­leges and uni­ver­si­ties are con­sid­ered, so stu­dents can trust that their degree will be worth it on the job market.

1. Indian River State College

Indi­an Riv­er State Col­lege offers stu­dents an afford­able BS in Emer­gency Admin­is­tra­tion and Man­age­ment that will allow them to apply for posi­tions in both the pub­lic and pri­vate sec­tors. Vol­un­teer orga­ni­za­tions that pro­vide dis­as­ter relief an emer­gency response are con­stant­ly search­ing for grad­u­ates who have a BS in Emer­gency Admin­is­tra­tion and Man­age­ment who can make the most of every resource they have avail­able to them. Human­i­tar­i­an oper­a­tions as well as state and fed­er­al orga­ni­za­tions also offer lucra­tive oppor­tu­ni­ties to these graduates.

Indi­an Riv­er State Col­lege prides itself on pro­vid­ing stu­dents with an all-haz­ards approach when it comes to teach­ing emer­gency man­age­ment cours­es. Fac­ul­ty and staff both real­ize the impor­tance of bring­ing both knowl­edge and expe­ri­ence to the table when it comes to teach­ing cours­es that in-depth, fast-paced, dis­as­ter relief and emer­gency man­age­ment train­ing. Grad­u­ates com­plete their course­work with con­fi­dence know­ing they can effec­tive­ly go out and change peo­ple’s lives for the better.

Degree: Emer­gency Admin­is­tra­tion and Man­age­ment, BS

Indi­an Riv­er State Col­lege Emer­gency Admin­is­tra­tion and Man­age­ment, BS

2. John Jay College of Criminal Justice

John Jay Col­lege of Crim­i­nal Jus­tice pro­vides stu­dents with an afford­able BS in Emer­gency Ser­vice Admin­is­tra­tion degree pro­gram that they can use in either the pub­lic or pri­vate sec­tor. Emer­gency man­age­ment degrees can be used in many ways. They pro­vide the nec­es­sary skills for many Home­land Secu­ri­ty posi­tions, orga­ni­za­tions that spe­cial­ize in dis­as­ter relief, emer­gency response teams that include both fire­fight­ers and law enforce­ment, and many oth­er human­i­tar­i­an orga­ni­za­tions. Earn­ing an afford­able BS in Emer­gency Ser­vice Admin­is­tra­tion is your first step in build­ing a reward­ing and very sat­is­fy­ing career.

John Jay Col­lege of Crim­i­nal Jus­tice is one of New York City’s most well-known and well-respect­ed col­leges when it comes to crim­i­nal jus­tice and emer­gency man­age­ment. The col­lege has a sol­id rep­u­ta­tion for pro­vid­ing the nec­es­sary fun­da­men­tal skills grad­u­ates will need to per­form the duties required of them. Fac­ul­ty mem­bers bring years of expe­ri­ence to the table that only height­ens the stu­dents’ learn­ing expe­ri­ence. When a stu­dent grad­u­ates with their emer­gency ser­vice admin­is­tra­tion degree, they will be able to join emer­gency response teams and know they are mak­ing a dif­fer­ence in the lives of the peo­ple they come in con­tact with.

Degree: Emer­gency Ser­vice Admin­is­tra­tion, BS

John Jay Col­lege of Crim­i­nal Jus­tice BS in Emer­gency Ser­vice Administration

3. Miami Dade College

Mia­mi Dade Col­lege offers an afford­able BAS in Emer­gency Man­age­ment for stu­dents who want to work with oth­er emer­gency response teams and orga­ni­za­tions. With a degree in Emer­gency Man­age­ment, a grad­u­ate will have all of the nec­es­sary skills and resources to take con­trol of an emer­gency sit­u­a­tion and effec­tive­ly man­age both resources and man­pow­er so that the use of each is max­i­mized to the fullest. Earn­ing an afford­able BAS Emer­gency Man­age­ment degree is the first step in mak­ing a pos­i­tive change in the world around you.

Mia­mi Dade Col­lege has a rep­u­ta­tion for being one of the most rep­utable schools in Flori­da when it comes to emer­gency man­age­ment and response train­ing. Expe­ri­enced fac­ul­ty mem­bers and instruc­tors pro­vide insight through hands-on expe­ri­ences as well as being able to incor­po­rate high-qual­i­ty course­work. When stu­dents com­plete their Emer­gency Man­age­ment degree pro­grams through the col­lege, they are ful­ly pre­pared to han­dle almost any emer­gency sit­u­a­tion pos­si­ble, either man-made or nat­ur­al dis­as­ter. Whether they choose to work in the pub­lic or pri­vate sec­tor, grad­u­ates will enjoy many oppor­tu­ni­ties for advancement.

Degree: Emer­gency Man­age­ment, BAS

Mia­mi Dade Col­lege BAS in Emer­gency Management

4. Truckee Meadows Community College

Truc­k­ee Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Col­lege offers an afford­able BAS degree in Emer­gency Man­age­ment and Home­land Secu­ri­ty. Stu­dents who are inter­est­ed in a career involv­ing emer­gency response, dis­as­ter relief, and human­i­tar­i­an oper­a­tions will learn the skills they will need to take on even the most dev­as­tat­ing types of dis­as­ters. With a BAS in Emer­gency Man­age­ment and Home­land Secu­ri­ty, grad­u­ates will be able to fit into a vari­ety of orga­ni­za­tions includ­ing fire­fight­ers, law enforce­ment, emer­gency response, and dis­as­ter relief and recovery.

At Truc­k­ee Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Col­lege both stu­dents and fac­ul­ty come togeth­er to cre­ate a pos­i­tive learn­ing envi­ron­ment in which expe­ri­ence and course­work are blend­ed togeth­er. Fac­ul­ty mem­bers are able to uti­lize valu­able resources, pro­vid­ing stu­dents with every­thing they need to move for­ward in this fast-paced, very lucra­tive career field. Once a stu­dent grad­u­ates, they will be ready to go out into the field and take con­trol of almost any type of sit­u­a­tion, be it man-made or a nat­ur­al dis­as­ter. Each stu­dents’ suc­cess will only be lim­it­ed by the bound­aries they put on themselves.

Degree: Emer­gency Man­age­ment and Home­land Secu­ri­ty, BAS

Truc­k­ee Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Col­lege Emer­gency Man­age­ment and Home­land Secu­ri­ty, BAS

5. Utah Valley University

Utah Val­ley Uni­ver­si­ty pro­vides an afford­able BS in Emer­gency Ser­vices Admin­is­tra­tion to stu­dents who are inter­est­ed in work­ing with emer­gency respon­ders and home­land secu­ri­ty per­son­nel. Grad­u­ates who com­plete this type of degree pro­gram have all the required skills to effec­tive­ly man­age emer­gency sit­u­a­tions that involve the trans­porta­tion and deliv­ery of vital, life-sav­ing sup­plies. Grad­u­ates who have a BS in Emer­gency Ser­vices Admin­is­tra­tion can find work with non-prof­it orga­ni­za­tions, emer­gency man­age­ment teams at city, state, and fed­er­al lev­els, and in many oth­er orga­ni­za­tions that offer dis­as­ter response and relief solutions.

Utah Val­ley Uni­ver­si­ty pro­vides qual­i­ty degree pro­grams that allow stu­dents to learn as much as they can about emer­gency man­age­ment, but also about emer­gency response and sup­port that are nec­es­sary com­po­nents when it comes to find­ing pos­i­tive solu­tions in dif­fi­cult times. The uni­ver­si­ty makes every effort to assist stu­dents in learn­ing all of the skills they need by incor­po­rat­ing hands-on expe­ri­ence with a well-round­ed cur­ricu­lum. Cours­es are taught by fac­ul­ty mem­bers who have both expe­ri­ence, as well as insight into the cours­es they teach.

Degree: Emer­gency Ser­vices Admin­is­tra­tion, BS

Utah Val­ley Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Emer­gency Ser­vices Administration

6. Georgia Military College

Geor­gia Mil­i­tary Col­lege offers stu­dents an afford­able BAS in Home­land Secu­ri­ty and Emer­gency Man­age­ment. This degree pro­gram offers the skills, resources, and abil­i­ties that grad­u­ates will need to find pos­i­tive solu­tions to many of the issues that are asso­ci­at­ed with both man-made and nat­ur­al dis­as­ters. Stu­dents are able to take their BAS in Home­land Secu­ri­ty and Emer­gency Man­age­ment and estab­lish them­selves as pro­fes­sion­als in their field. They will be able to seek out oppor­tu­ni­ties in both the pub­lic and pri­vate sectors.

At Geor­gia Mil­i­tary Col­lege, stu­dents can count on learn­ing from pro­fes­sion­als who have many years of expe­ri­ence work­ing in the field. The col­lege com­bines expe­ri­enced fac­ul­ty mem­bers with a well-round­ed cur­ricu­lum that pro­vides learn­ing strate­gies and valu­able resources that stu­dents will be able to use for many years to come. Once the grad­u­ate has their degree, they can begin to estab­lish them­selves as pro­fes­sion­als in their field. No mat­ter what tier of emer­gency response they choose to work on, the oppor­tu­ni­ties for advance­ment and high­er pay will be waiting.

Degree: Home­land Secu­ri­ty and Emer­gency Man­age­ment, BAS

Geor­gia Mil­i­tary Col­lege BAS in Home­land Secu­ri­ty and Emer­gency Management

7. Northeastern State University

North­east­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty offers stu­dents who are inter­est­ed in earn­ing an afford­able BS in Home­land Secu­ri­ty an oppor­tu­ni­ty to do so. Upon com­ple­tion of the course­work, grad­u­ates will have the nec­es­sary skills that are required to work in almost any emer­gency man­age­ment or home­land secu­ri­ty sit­u­a­tion. Stu­dents who enroll in a Home­land Secu­ri­ty BS pro­gram, are high­ly moti­vat­ed and are look­ing for ways to assist their com­mu­ni­ties dur­ing both res­cue and recov­ery efforts. Home­land Secu­ri­ty is a field that offers lucra­tive oppor­tu­ni­ties for advancement.

North­east­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty has a sol­id rep­u­ta­tion for being one of the most advanced uni­ver­si­ties when it comes to emer­gency man­age­ment and response. When stu­dents enroll in a home­land secu­ri­ty degree pro­gram, they are giv­en much more than just the basic skills need­ed for most emer­gency response posi­tions. They are taught strate­gies and the­o­ries that allow them to think on their feet and cre­ate pos­i­tive solu­tions in a short peri­od of time.

Degree: Home­land Secu­ri­ty, BS

8. Arizona State University

Ari­zona State Uni­ver­si­ty offers an afford­able BAS degree in Emer­gency Man­age­ment for stu­dents who want a career in which they can be of ser­vice to their com­mu­ni­ty. In the field of emer­gency man­age­ment, pro­fes­sion­als must be able to uti­lize both sup­plies and man­pow­er effi­cient­ly. They must be able to think quick­ly and come up with pos­i­tive solu­tions that will keep res­cue and relief oper­a­tions mov­ing for­ward as smooth­ly as pos­si­ble. With a BAS in Emer­gency Man­age­ment, grad­u­ates are also able to work with com­mu­ni­ty lead­ers to pro­vide insight and cre­ate work­ing guide­lines that can be fol­lowed if a dis­as­ter occurs.

Ari­zona State Uni­ver­si­ty is one of the south­wests’ most pres­ti­gious uni­ver­si­ties when it comes to high-qual­i­ty course­work and pro­fes­sion­al fac­ul­ty mem­bers who bring years of expe­ri­ence into the mix. Both stu­dents and fac­ul­ty mem­bers are able to gain insight from one anoth­er and make the most of a pow­er­ful learn­ing envi­ron­ment. Each grad­u­ate who earns their BAS in Emer­gency Man­age­ment can look for­ward to many years of reward­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties know­ing they are active­ly assist­ing others.

Degree: Emer­gency Man­age­ment, BAS

Ari­zona State Uni­ver­si­ty BAS in Emer­gency Management

9. Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis

IUPUI offers an afford­able BS in Pub­lic Safe­ty Man­age­ment that is avail­able as part of their Crim­i­nal Jus­tice degree pro­gram. The pro­grams were devel­oped through the under­stand­ing of what a pub­lic safe­ty man­ag­er must do as part of their dai­ly duties. The entire cur­ricu­lum is used to pro­vide vital infor­ma­tion, resources, skills, and abil­i­ties to each stu­dent who enrolls in the Pub­lic Safe­ty Man­age­ment BS degree pro­gram. Grad­u­ates are then able to uti­lize those skills and cre­ate pos­i­tive solu­tions dur­ing a stress­ful peri­od of time.

Indi­ana Uni­ver­si­ty-Pur­due Uni­ver­si­ty-Indi­anapo­lis is a col­lab­o­ra­tive effort between two of the most well-known and most rep­utable uni­ver­si­ties in the Mid­west. From the pro­fes­sion­al fac­ul­ty mem­bers to the most advanced cur­ricu­lums, the uni­ver­si­ty offers stu­dents every pos­si­ble tool and resource. Grad­u­ates have access to the high­est lev­el of tech­nol­o­gy and are giv­en real-life oppor­tu­ni­ties to uti­lize their new skills. This unique insti­tu­tion con­tin­u­al­ly strives to main­tain its sta­tus as one of the top schools in the coun­try when it comes to emer­gency man­age­ment degree programs.

Degree: Crim­i­nal Jus­tice: Pub­lic Safe­ty Man­age­ment, BS

IUPUI BS in Pub­lic Safe­ty Management

10. Post University

Post Uni­ver­si­ty offers an afford­able BS in Emer­gency Man­age­ment and Home­land Secu­ri­ty. This in-depth pro­gram gives stu­dents the abil­i­ty to work in a fast-paced envi­ron­ment, assess­ing sce­nar­ios and find­ing viable solu­tions. Stu­dents are taught how to effec­tive­ly man­age resources and pro­vide assis­tance to com­mu­ni­ties that have expe­ri­enced some type of dis­as­ter, either nat­ur­al or man-made. With a BS in Emer­gency Man­age­ment and Home­land Secu­ri­ty, stu­dents can enter the work­force, know­ing they have the knowl­edge and skills to make a dif­fer­ence when dis­as­ter strikes.

Post Uni­ver­si­ty is one of the most promi­nent schools in the North­east­ern Unit­ed States when it comes to offer­ing the high­est qual­i­ty edu­ca­tion. From the advanced cur­ricu­lum to the fac­ul­ty mem­bers who can offer both insight and expe­ri­ence, stu­dents are giv­en every oppor­tu­ni­ty to excel in their cho­sen field of study. The degree pro­grams that are offered in Emer­gency Man­age­ment and Home­land Secu­ri­ty give stu­dents the con­fi­dence they need to move for­ward in their careers.

Degree: Emer­gency Man­age­ment and Home­land Secu­ri­ty, BS

Post Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Emer­gency Man­age­ment and Home­land Security

How Do I Save Money on an Emergency Management Degree?

Oth­er ways to defray the cost of your emer­gency man­age­ment edu­ca­tion involve the use of schol­ar­ships and edu­ca­tion­al grants. Both are giv­en to stu­dents who com­plete an appli­ca­tion and that meet the require­ments set forth in the guide­lines asso­ci­at­ed with each one. Unlike stu­dent loans, grants and schol­ar­ships do not have to be paid back. There are some grants avail­able that are pro­vid­ed to stu­dents for every year that they return to work on their sec­ondary or post-grad­u­ate degree. Schol­ar­ships and grants require a lit­tle extra work in the form of pub­lic ser­vice or a pro­pos­al as to what the stu­dent may be try­ing to accom­plish by earn­ing their spe­cif­ic degree. Both schol­ar­ships and grants can be used for all of your col­lege expens­es, includ­ing books and room and board.

How Much Can I Make With a Bachelor’s in Emergency Management?

Grad­u­ates who have earned a Bach­e­lor’s in Emer­gency Man­age­ment can earn on aver­age $70,000 per year. The amount of mon­ey you are offered will be deter­mined by sev­er­al things. Your degree and grade point aver­age are com­mon­ly used to assess your learn­ing poten­tial and will give your new employ­er a start­ing point when it comes to wages and ben­e­fits. Many entry-lev­el posi­tions in emer­gency man­age­ment require some type of col­lege degree start­ing with a Bach­e­lor’s or higher.

Expe­ri­ence work­ing in the field of emer­gency man­age­ment or response is also ben­e­fi­cial and can increase your learn­ing poten­tial. Expe­ri­ence, com­bined with the right Bach­e­lor’s in emer­gency man­age­ment degree, will enable the stu­dent to apply the skills they have learned in the real-world with the knowl­edge you obtain through online or class­room learn­ing. Grad­u­ates can return to school to attend class­es that will ful­fill their con­tin­u­ing edu­ca­tion require­ments for any cer­ti­fi­ca­tions they may have, which will also boost their learn­ing power.

Employ­ers in both the pub­lic and pri­vate sec­tors offer bonus­es to employ­ees who have per­formed well over the past year. These bonus­es can range in amount and may include, either a finan­cial award or a mate­r­i­al award, depend­ing on the num­ber of years the employ­ee has been in work­ing with the com­pa­ny. Cri­sis and emer­gency man­age­ment salary posi­tions nor­mal­ly offer both types of rewards for vary­ing terms of employ­ment and the types of jobs that are per­formed. In addi­tion to bonus­es, employ­ees may also be moved upward through the ranks with pro­mo­tions and oth­er job opportunities.

Will a Certification in Emergency Management Help My Career?

A cer­ti­fi­ca­tion in emer­gency man­age­ment is a great way for a vol­un­teer or entry-lev­el employ­ee to begin to advance through the ranks and apply for more advanced posi­tions. Vol­un­teers or employ­ees who have worked in the field of emer­gency man­age­ment for sev­er­al years can enroll in a cer­ti­fi­ca­tion pro­gram and begin to test the waters in a vari­ety of areas. Cri­sis pre­ven­tion, logis­tics, dis­as­ter relief, and oth­er posi­tions can open the door to a long-term career that may result in an upper man­age­ment position.

Cer­ti­fi­ca­tion pro­grams offer emer­gency man­age­ment per­son­nel a way to earn cred­it for their many years of expe­ri­ence and ser­vice. The more expe­ri­ence a return­ing stu­dent has, the more valu­able they are to an employ­er. Earn­ing a cer­ti­fi­ca­tion gives them an oppor­tu­ni­ty to con­tin­ue to pur­sue their career and take advan­tage of new employ­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties. Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions may not take the place of a 2- or 4‑year degree, but they do offer some degree of val­i­da­tion to the employ­ee’s efforts. Noth­ing is as valu­able as hands-on expe­ri­ence when it comes to work­ing in high-stress sit­u­a­tions where on-demand prob­lem-solv­ing skills are required.

Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions can last any­where from three months to a year, depend­ing on how in-depth the learn­ing mate­r­i­al is and what lev­el of cer­ti­fi­ca­tion is required. Many cer­ti­fi­ca­tion pro­grams are taught in an online for­mat as well as in a class­room. This makes it eas­i­er for a full-time employ­ee to earn the cre­den­tials they need with­out hav­ing to miss work or take time away from their fam­i­ly. Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions may also be accept­ed for cred­it if the stu­dent choos­es to return to school to earn a high­er degree.

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