Profession of Emergency Management: Educational Opportunities and Gaps

摘要

For the past several years, as the profession of emergency management has been evolving, there has been a growing interest in the need for more formalized training for the nation s hazards and emergency managers. The most significant component of this profession s evolution has been the increase in the number of academia degree programs for emergency management, both undergraduate and graduate (see, for example, Appendix A) and the increase in the number of professionals seeking emergency management as a first career choice. The profession has witnessed the inclusion of specialized training initiatives emphasizing leadership and management competencies; increased interest in program accreditation, certification, professional standards, and performance measurement. Also evident is the increased diversity within the profession, with more disciplines or specialized groups participating; and increased participation by the business sector, and other non-governmental organizations. While all this interest in, and diversity among, various efforts relating to the emergency management profession is promising, the activity is not coordinated. Rather it is comprised of individual efforts of sole organizations or institutions. There is a need to clarify exactly what is needed in this whole field. The distinction between skills or performance based training (such as that offered by the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) now) and theory-based training offered by institutions awarding degrees must be defined. This research is a first step in determining the character of the nations existing higher educational opportunities in hazards and emergency management. This report summarizes the existing educational opportunities and identifies the gaps in the current opportunities in hazards and emergency management education.