Where Do Emergency Management Programs Fit on the Campus?

In fall 2001, university and college program directors and chairs across the country had no way of knowing how the sudden advent of homeland security and advancement of emergency management as academic disciplines would soon be bearing down on their curriculum demands. The term “homeland security” did not exist, at least not as we have come to know it in the years that followed.

In 1996, just two programs in emergency management existed. By 2006, nearly 150 higher education programs in emergency management were listed on FEMA’s website, including certificate programs. As of 2012, there were approximately 50 two-year programs and a similar number of four-year programs with emergency management-related titles alone.

While some academic institutions offer programs in homeland security, and others in emergency management, a growing number are combining the disciplines in various ways. Still, the number of four-year programs listed on FEMA’s site combining homeland security and emergency management in a degree title remains in the single digits. 

There’s no apparent standard for what school or department a college houses homeland security and emergency management-related programs in. Researchers have noted that the discipline of emergency management finds its origin in geography, sociology and other social sciences. The first Ph.D. program in emergency management, at North Dakota State University, was assigned to a department that also houses anthropology.

Where to House Programs?

An online review of college and university websites for FEMA-recognized programs in homeland security and/or emergency management found that programs are being housed in a wide variety of departments and schools. The University of North Texas, which was the original school to offer a degree in emergency management, houses its program in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service. Departments housing homeland security and/or emergency management-related programs around the country include professional studies, political science, public administration and urban studies, management, government and public affairs, continuing studies and social sciences. Criminal justice-related titles are also commonly observed.

Two more examples of program placement variations can be found at Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Eastern Kentucky University, which houses its program in the College of Justice and Safety, has designed its program so that all major-related course requirements and elective options contain homeland-related course prefixes, with a requirement of one government course. Demonstrating another varying perspective on program implementation, the University of Alaska Fairbanks houses its Emergency Management and Homeland Security program in the School of Management, where the curriculum carries required courses in accounting, management, marketing, organizational theory and economics. Since homeland security and emergency management have strong government functions, a sound argument can also be made for housing a new degree program in a department focusing on public administration, political science or similar. Other departments can make equally strong arguments. Thus, there is clearly no consensus on the matter.

While the question of where to house a new homeland security and/or emergency management program — and what to put in it — is being addressed by colleges and universities in so many ways, there doesn’t seem to be any objective, right or wrong answer. Each institution — even those with similar, if not nearly identical curriculum — offers a unique product through the use of vetted faculty members, varying syllabi and distinct delivery method.

It can be complicated to assess program development in a young discipline, especially if a college is not interested in following suit with other institutions for any number of reasons, not the least of which being competitive edge. Nearly a dozen years following 9/11, what we have in academia to address homeland security and emergency management curriculum is a hodgepodge; no three campuses seem to be doing it quite the same way.

Here to Stay

More than a decade may seem like a long time to not necessarily have it right, but historically speaking our time since 9/11 will be looked at as a brief moment. The term “homeland security” is here to stay, and emergency management is a key component of it. Homeland security is a presidential Cabinet-level seat, and as such, will be in our consciousness for decades to come at varying degrees of prominence depending on the level of crisis our country might find itself in from a threat. The opportunity exists, while homeland security and emergency management degree programs are still at their relative infancy, to properly form a foundation that practitioners and scholars can agree will best serve the goals, interests and needs of all involved. The search for new learning should remain an academic objective regardless of program, as all pursuits will somehow play a role in the overall development of the discipline.            

New degrees in homeland security and emergency management face the same obstacles as the emerging criminal justice programs did a half century ago. College and university leaders must foster effective paths of entry for the new programs now, as it will likely be easier to insert a new program into the correct school or department at its inception than it will be to transfer one that slowly evolves over time. With the introduction of new classes piecemeal until there is a realization that collectively, all of those courses could serve as the foundation of a successful new program. As with any construction project, a retrofit might require more thought, and may never achieve the same level of efficiency as new construction.

Higher education pioneers in the fields of homeland security and emergency management, including B. Wayne Blanchard, former head of FEMA’s Higher Education Program, and accredited universities, such as the Naval Postgraduate School, have been laying a strong foundation for college and university leaders interested in starting new degree programs. FEMA and the Naval Postgraduate School provide free online access to course/curriculum resources on which to build, as well as better standardize content.

At the start of the 21st century, university and college leaders had no idea homeland security and emergency management would hold such significant roles in United States culture, but today the disciplines hold a prominent seat in the narrative. The question remains, though, at which table does that seat best fit on college campuses. Homeland security and emergency management are not merely catch-phrases or passing fads; they are now a part of the United States fabric. Just as criminal justice programs are alive and well across the country 50 years after they gained popularity, drafting a well-thought out program, and sub-programs, in the new arena of homeland security and emergency management today will leave a strong foundational program in place for decades to come for a college or university. The verdict is still out on where on a campus the program best fits, but the where matters not nearly as much as college leaders deciding to embrace and advance the discipline.   

Gregory E. Walsh is an assistant professor of criminal justice at Utica College.