Graduate Programs In Homeland Security And Crisis and Emergency Management
Dr. Springer (Executive Director of the ECEM Program) and
Scott Smith (Executive
Director of the Institute for Security Studies at UNLV) greet guest speaker
Dr. Jack Caravelli.
2007 cohort of students attend their first on-campus series of courses
Monthly Program Newsletters
September 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007
September 24, 2007- REID ANNOUNCES GRANT FOR NEW MASTERS DEGREE PROGRAM AT UNLV
August 7, 2007- "Las Best Chance" Screening/ Panel Discussion
OVERVIEW
As a result of recent national, state, and local experiences such as September 11, 2001, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the United States must address topics such as government responsibility and accountability, coordinated response and recovery, and citizen awareness and preparedness. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Department of Public Administration has programs to help individuals and the nation respond. Specifically we offer programs in Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
Students interested in:
- The general framework of Emergency Management and Homeland Security
- Leadership, management and coordination skills for Emergency Management and Homeland Security
- Community preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery from natural and man made disasters
- Actually participating in exercise planning and execution.
Should contact UNLV, we have programs for you.
The two programs offered are:
A. Certificate in Homeland Defense and Security (12 credits)
This offering provides four, three-hour DHS-approved homeland security courses. This program is designed for Army National Guard (and others) personnel who may be interested in graduate education in security and emergency management and may or may not immediately want to pursue a Master’s Degree. Students in this program will earn a Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security. Upon completion of the certificate program, the student can elect to use this foundation to continue their education toward the completion of the full masters program.
B. Executive Master’s in Crisis and Emergency Management (ECEM) (36 credits)
This degree is designed to give students the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to become leaders in their profession. 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.
Both programs are geared for individuals who are working full-time and cannot easily come to campus.
LEARNING FORMAT
Certificate in Homeland Defense and Security
A. Students will be required to attend 3 on-campus weekend sessions. Each on-campus learning session will be scheduled for Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon in order to accommodate student travel. The first on-campus weekend will be devoted to acquainting students with WebCT and faculty expectations. When not on campus, students will be required to interface with instructors and classmates via web-based application, email, and telephone. Reliable access to such means of communication is required for successful completion of the program.
B. ECEM Certificate Requirements and Courses:
ECEM 781: The Foundations of Homeland Defense and Security
ECEM 782: Multi-Disciplinary Approaches to Homeland Defense and Security: Collaborating to Integrate
ECEM 783: Strategic Planning and Organizational Imperatives in Homeland Defense and Security
ECEM 784: Special Topics in Homeland Defense and Security: Homeland Defense and Security in Practice
- If a student decides to pursue the Masters degree in Crisis and Emergency Management, the four certificate courses will substitute for four specific courses within ECEM*.
- Certificate Course Sequence
- Module 1
- ECEM 781, 782 and 783
- Module 2
- ECEM 784
* Additional information on how certificate courses apply to the degree program can be obtained by contacting ECEM (Dr. Christine Springer, Director at 702.895.4835 or Christine.Springer@unlv.edu or Robert White, Program Coordinator at 702.895.2640 or Robert.White@unlv.edu).
Executive Masters Degree
The ECEM degree program is now twenty four months in duration and requires the successful completion of twelve, three credit courses for a total of thirty-six credit hours.
A. To achieve this degree, the program is organized into four modules of study, with each module consisting of three courses. Each module will encompass six months of course instruction. During each six month module, students will be required to attend an on-campus weekend session. Each on-campus session will be scheduled for Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Two additional sessions are required for a total of six weekends.
- 1st weekend: Introduction to program, Webcampus, and Faculty.
- 2nd weekend: End of first module
- 3rd weekend: End of second module
- 4th weekend: End of third module
- 5th weekend: Exercise
- 6th weekend: End of program
B. ECEM Curriculum Requirements
ECEM 711 Crisis and Emergency Management
ECEM 712 Science of Catastrophes
ECEM 713 Evolution of Terrorism
ECEM 714 Intergovernmental Affairs
ECEM 721 Organizational Leadership
ECEM 722 Community Preparedness
ECEM 723 Human Considerations
ECEM 724 Exercise Design and Response Plan
ECEM 731 Risk and Mitigation
ECEM 732 Prevention and Planning
ECEM 733 Response and Recovery
ECEM 734 Capstone Experience
When not on campus, students will be required to interface with instructors and classmates via web-based application, email, and telephone. Reliable access to such means of communication is required for successful completion of the program.
Schedule
Program Start Date: July 7, 2008
Module 1 Start Date: July 7, 2008
First On-Campus Meeting: July 11-13, 2008
Module 1 On-Campus Meeting: November 28-30, 2008
Module 1 End Date: December 5, 2008
Module 2 Start Date: January 12, 2009
Module 2 On-Campus Meeting: June 12-14, 2009
Module 2 End Date: June 19, 2009
Module 3 Start Date: July 6, 2009
Module 3 On-Campus Meeting July 31-August 2, 2009
Module 3 Exercise On-Campus Meeting: December 4-6, 2009
Module 3 End Date: December 11, 2009
Module 4 Start Date: January 11, 2010
Module 4 On-Campus Meeting June 11-13, 2010
Module 4 End Date June 18, 2010
Program End Date: June 18, 2010
COHORT STUDY
Students enter the program and are expected to complete the program as a cohort. Cohorts are scheduled to begin in January and July of each year. Cohort composition will attempt to provide a cross-section of professionals with the capability to provide unique perspectives to the learning experience and benefit of the entire cohort
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
-Earned an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better.
-If less than a 3.0 GPA, an applicant must:
-Submit an explanation of meaningful work experience which demonstrates understanding of the intended field of study
Or
-Submit a satisfactory score on either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (combined score of at least 900 on the verbal and quantitative sections) or a comparable score on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)
-Evidence of having been awarded the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university
-Three letters of reference
-A resume indicating educational and professional experience
-A personal statement indicating career and educational goals with an ECEM degree*
To apply for admission students must submit the following:
-A completed UNLV Graduate College application
-A nonrefundable admission application fee of $60 Domestic/$75 Exchange. Please make checks or money orders payable to the Board of Regents
-Official transcripts displaying all previous accredited college/university work
-A letter of commitment to meet STEM Grant requirements**
-Exchange applicants must also submit:
-An official TOEFL score (minimum score of 550) or comparable evidence of competence in English
-A completed financial statement before credentials can be reviewed
*Not required from candidates for the “Certificate Program
**DHS Stem Scholarship applicants only
All completed materials should be sent to:
Robert White, Program Coordinator
UNLV ECEM Program
4505 Maryland Parkway
Box 456026
Las Vegas, NV 89154-6026
(702) 895-2640
The application deadline is May 19, 2008.
TUITION AND POLICIES
The cost of the program for admission in the 2008-2009 year is $27,750. The tuition is payable in four installments of $6,867.75 as the Four Modules progress. The Certificate Program’s cost is $9,250.00. Program Fees are due two weeks prior to the start of a module.
The program fee covers all tuition and fees, as well textbooks and other course material. Travel costs are NOT included in the tuition. Students are responsible for coordinating and paying for individual travel expenses.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Financial aid is available through the university, some individuals may receive tuition assistance from their employers. The NSHE has special provisions for National Guard members that will offset some of the cost of either educational program. There may be other financial aid for National Guard members. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) STEM offers limited STEM Grants. In an effort to attract the next generation of students to study and commit to future careers in the homeland security profession, DHS has awarded UNLV over $442,000 in scholarships be provided to candidates who apply for and meet scholarship requirements. Requirements include being willing to pair up with a mentor in the profession, being committed to attend a meeting in Washington, D.C., and being committed to work for one year in a DHS approved venue upon attainment of the degree. Additional application requirements specific to the scholarship include U.S. citizenship and maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher on a 4.00 scale.
Information on university grants, loans and employment opportunities may be obtained from Student
Financial Services at (702) 895-3424 or http://financialaid.unlv.edu/. Students interested in financial aid for either the Certificate or for the ECEM Degree need to submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid). A link to FAFSA is on the financial aid website.
Request for withdrawal from the ECEM program must be made one week prior to the start of a forthcoming module. The tuition refund will only reflect the amount paid for the forthcoming module for which the request was made. No refund for withdrawal will be made thereafter.
Financial Assistance Fact Sheet
APPENDIX A
ECEM Learning Objectives
- Internalize comprehensive emergency management fundamentals, differentiate definitions of disasters, and critique commonly held myths about disasters
- Recognize the major elements of natural, intentional, and technical disasters
- Understand the evolution of terrorism and the underlying social, political, and economic causes for terrorism
- Understand the authority and responsibility of the three levels of government dealing with natural, intentional, and technical disasters
- Analyze leadership and organizational theory in the context of emergency management and be able to differentiate between individual leadership and decision-making styles
- Explain social vulnerability and the principles involved in building community capacity
- Comprehend the human side of emergencies through analyzing public reaction and response to disaster events
- Evaluate exercise design elements and organizational response plan fundamentals
- Distinguish the principles behind and the effective approaches for prevention, planning, risk, mitigation, response, and recovery strategies and efforts
- Demonstrate an understanding of comprehensive emergency management fundamentals for application to real-world events
APPENDIX B
ECEM Certificate Courses
ECEM 781: The Foundations of Homeland Defense and Security
Fundamentals of terrorism and the threat; Homeland Defense/Security players, organizations; strategies and policies Legal and jurisdictional issues
ECEM 782: Multi-Disciplinary Approaches to Homeland Defense and Security: Collaborating to Integrate Civil-military relations; interagency operations; Intelligence fusion; Local, state and national exercises
ECEM 783: Strategic Planning and Organizational Imperatives in Homeland Defense and Security
Joint Planning; Critical Infrastructure Protection Border Operations
ECEM 784: Special Topics in Homeland Defense and Security: Homeland Defense and Security in Practice
National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System in application; State/Federal Interoperability; Capstone Issue Paper/Project
APPENDIX C
Executive Masters Course Description
ECEM Course Descriptions:
ECEM 711-Crisis and Emergency Management
This course focuses on the evolution of U.S. disaster policy and the corresponding practice of emergency management. It presents comprehensive emergency management fundamentals, examines major policy issues, differentiates definitions of disasters, and discusses commonly held myths about disasters.
ECEM 712-Science of Catastrophes
This course provides an understanding of the underlying scientific issues that arise from natural, intentional, and technical disasters. It presents information at a managerial level, providing students with a sufficient overview to recognize and understand the complexity of potential catastrophic events which they must plan for and manage.
ECEM 713-Evolution of Terrorism
This course focuses on the historical roots of terrorism and stresses the importance of understanding the past to adequately prepare for the future. Through a historical perspective, this course provides the basis for and discusses the aspects that make contemporary terrorism of today different from traditional terrorism of the past.
ECEM 714-Intergovernmental Affairs
This course provides an overview and analysis of intergovernmental issues facing public administrators involved in the administrative, regulatory, and political dimensions of emergency management. It introduces concepts and provides information about the political system in which emergency managers must navigate and presents an overview of key governmental agencies and actors.
ECEM 721-Organizational Leadership
This course provides an introduction to leadership and organizational theory in the context of emergency management. It will examine theory and develop a range of skills in a number of interpersonal areas, to include conflict management, use of power, group dynamics, and leadership and influence.
ECEM 722-Community Preparedness
This course provides an understanding of how communities prepare for disasters through social vulnerability analysis and community capacity analysis. It examines historical, geographical, social, and cultural factors and conditions that put people differentially at risk in the community and require integration and coordination among agencies and organizations.
ECEM 723-Human Considerations
This course explores the human aspect of emergencies by analyzing the public response to natural, intentional, and technical disasters. It specifically addresses the psychological component (to include counseling) on the afflicted population and the long-range considerations that must be addressed when effectively managing an incident.
ECEM 724-Exercise/Response Plan
This course provides a synthesis of student learning by providing thorough instruction in the fundamentals of simulating disasters, planning and conducting table-top exercises, planning and conducting functional full-scale exercises, as well as drafting organizational response plans.
ECEM 731-Risk and Mitigation
This course explores the use of “risk” in making individual and group decisions. It explores qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating risk and develops practices to use such information to improve decision making processes in the context of emergency management.
ECEM 732-Prevention and Planning
This course analyzes the methods by which governmental organizations, private sector entities, and the general public can prevent and prepare for natural, intentional, and technical disasters. It will discuss topics such as vulnerability and threat assessments, resources and capabilities identification/integration, and training and exercise programs.
ECEM 733-Response and Recovery
This course analyzes the methods by which governmental organizations, private sector entities, and the general public can respond to and recover from natural, intentional, and technical disasters. It will discuss topics such as crisis action planning, conducting a needs assessment, establishing unity of effort, and integrating key personnel and organizations.
ECEM 734-Capstone Experience
This course provides a culminating experience for students to demonstrate proficiency in applying the fundamentals of disaster simulation, table-top exercise formulation and execution, functional full-scale exercise formulation and execution, and organizational response plan creation. It will require mastery and integration of previously presented program topics.
APPENDIX D
Directions for Obtaining the UNLV Graduate College Application
- Visit the UNLV Graduate College website at the following address:
http://emt.askadmissions.net/unlvgrad/emtinterestpage.aspx?ip=graduate
- Once on the “Interest” webpage, complete the required information fields (the applicant does not need to specify a program of interest) and click the “Submit Information” button
- On the next webpage, the applicant should click the “Apply Online” link
- On the “Login-Applicant” webpage, enter username and password and click the “Login” button
- Within the Application Workbox tool, there is a box called “New Application” with a drop-down menu. Within the menu, select the appropriate application, and click the “GO” button
- On the next screen, read the Terms and Conditions, scroll to the bottom of the page, select the Accept/Decline option, and click the “Submit” button
- The application template is now visible to the applicant
- The applicant may now complete the application
- The applicant may only proceed to the next page of the application if all of the required fields are completed
- When the applicant is prompted to “Please specify details about your major,” please define the area of concentration by typing “ECEM ” in the open field
- When the applicant is prompted for “…choosing from the following certificates,” the applicant should leave this as the “Select One” field from the drop-down menu
- When the applicant is prompted to “Please select from the entry terms available for your selected major, select “Fall 2008” from the drop-down menu
- When this window box of information is completed, click the “Submit” button within the window box
- The applicant may continue completing the application
- The applicant may save application details at any time by scrolling to the bottom of the web page and clicking the “Save & Return to Application Workbox” button
- When the applicant completes the last page of the application entitled, “Post-Secondary Institutions,” complete the web page and click the “Submit Application” button
- When the “Application Workbox” webpage is displayed, select the “PDF” button associated with the applicant’s application
- When prompted by the .pdf viewing software, click the “Open” button
- Save a copy of the .pdf file to a computer or other electronic storage media
- PRINT the completed application
- Close the .pdf viewing application and return to the UNLV website window
- The applicant may now click the “Logout” link