One of very few executive graduate degrees in crisis and emergency management in America, this program is completed in 18 months by participants by taking twelve graduate level courses that are organized into three six month long modules of four courses which meet both online and on-campus. Each module requires that students meet on campus for two weeks so as to maximize the learning experience for them. Students enter the program as a cohort of from 20-30 students with a cross-section of experiences and backgrounds in applicable fields so that they may learn from one another in addition to interacting with experienced faculty and the coursework. Because emergency management is both a profession and a field of study, this program addresses the context within which emergencies are managed as well as the five stages of disaster management: prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. Housed within the Department of Public Administration, this degree is designed to give students the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to become leaders in their profession. More specifically, the Mission of the program is to provide a well-rounded graduate learning experience to current and future crisis and emergency management leaders for effectively addressing natural, intentional, and technical disasters.
The UNLV Department of Public Administration is part of the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs. The Executive Director of the program, Dr. Christine Springer, is a former President of the American Society of Public Administration with a PhD. in Public Administration from Indiana University. Dr. Springer also served as Director of Intergovernmental and Community Relations for one of the largest public utilities in the country and sited nuclear and coal fired generating stations while employed by Salt River Project (Arizona). Other faculty teaching courses are experts in their respective fields. For example, Dr. Bill Waugh (Georgia State University), Dr. Jim O’Brien (Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security for Clark County) and Dr. David Hassenzahl (Chair, Environmental Studies, UNLV).
Application deadlines are typically in November and May of each year with the next application deadline for the program being May 18, 2007. The cost of the program is $26,250 payable in three installments of $8,750. Each installment is to be paid prior to the start of each module. The tuition covers all fees as well as textbooks and other course materials but does not cover travel costs for the six on-campus sessions. Students are responsible for coordinating and paying for their individual travel expenses for on-campus sessions. Financial assistance may be obtained from Student Financial Services at (702) 895-3424 or http://financialaid.unlv.edu/. Request for withdrawal from the ECEM program needs to be made one week prior to the start of the forthcoming module and tuition refunds only reflect the amount paid for the forthcoming for which the request was made. Admission to ECEM program requires:
Dr. Christine Gibbs Springer
Master of Science in Crisis and Emergency Management
University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV)
4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 456026, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-6026
(702) 895-4835 Telephone u (702) 895-1813 Fax u christine.springer@unlv.edu E-mail address