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Emergency Management & Homeland Security
A wide variety of rewarding career options await graduates the emergency management & homeland security program.
Emergency Management & Homeland Security, Online
Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.)
About this program
From government and healthcare to non-profit and faith-based organizations, emergency management professionals keep us safe. At Penn College, you’ll explore what it takes to serve and protect in critical times. Whether it’s developing an action plan or facilitating a coordinated response, this flexible online program cultivates the practical real-world skills that tomorrow needs most.
Next steps...
You're on your way to becoming a tomorrow maker.
Careers
- Emergency management coordinator & specialist
- Emergency planner
- Public health preparedness worker
- Healthcare preparedness worker
- Private sector consultant
Courses
At Penn College, we believe your educational experience should go beyond specialized skills. Real-world ready means taking a broader approach that builds communication skills, inspires collaboration, and encourages exploration of arts, history, and science.
Specialization requires in-depth knowledge and high-level proficiency. Students learn and apply major-specific concepts, skills, and methods.
- Introduction to Emergency Management Operations (BEM101)
- Introduction to Sociology (SOC111)
- The History and Evolution of Emergency Management (BEM103)
- World History I (HIS116) or
- World History II (HIS126)
- Incident Command System Operations (BEM201)
- Emergencies, Disasters, and Catastrophes (BEM202)
- Disaster Preparation and Planning (BEM210)
- Crisis Communication (BEM221)
- Disaster Recovery (BEM230)
- Introduction to Homeland Security (BEM240)
- Directed Emergency Management Elective (BEM)
- Spatial Analysis in Emergency Management (BEM250)
- Critical Infrastructure (BEM300)
- Principles of Public Administration (PSC251)
- International Relations (PSC261)
- Social/Psychological Foundations of Emergency Management (BEM265)
- Bioterrorism (BEM350)
- Terrorism, Civil War and Genocide (PSC402)
- Criminal Justice (HSJ263)
- Technological Elements of Emergency Management (BEM311)
- Research Methods (SOC313)
- Emergency Management Internship (BEM450)
- Emergency Management Capstone (BEM495)
Perspectives are points of view, offering a variety of ways of understanding, interacting, and influencing the world. Students identify, explain, and utilize the approaches used by academics and professionals to study, analyze, or understand problems, and offer solutions.
KEMA Podcast
Listen to David E. Bjorkman, instructor of emergency management/social science, as he discusses the program, career opportunities, the realistic disaster simulations in which students participate, and the overwhelming acceptance by veteran emergency managers.
Military Tuition Assistance
Thanks to the Military Tuition Assistance Program, more tomorrow makers can find their futures at Penn College. Through this special offering, qualified active military personnel are eligible to pursue college credits tuition free.
Tour Schedule
Seeing is believing.
Think Penn College might be a good fit for you? Make plans to visit and discover what hands-on learning is all about. Academic Tours allow you to explore labs and get to the core of your future program. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into your academic area of interest, opt for a Self-Scheduled Personal Tour. Comprehensive COVID-19 safety protocols are in place.
Sep 26
Open House
Sunday, September 268:30 AM - 2:30 PM Eastern Time (U.S.)
Oct 8
Open House
Friday, October 88:30 AM - 2:30 PM Eastern Time (U.S.)
Oct 23
Open House
Saturday, October 238:30 AM - 2:30 PM Eastern Time (U.S.)
Nov 6
Open House
Saturday, November 68:30 AM - 2:30 PM Eastern Time (U.S.)
Nov 19
Open House
Friday, November 198:30 AM - 2:30 PM Eastern Time (U.S.)
More tour dates are on the way.
But let's customize a tour for you now. Call, chat, or email for options.
Need a different date?
Let's customize a tour for you now. Call, chat, or email for options.
If you can't attend any of these dates Contact Admissions at 570.320.2400
Upcoming Events
Explore Penn College
Industry Partners
Work with experts to become an expert
Penn College's strong corporate partnerships impact every step of your journey – from your first day in the classroom and labs, to career placement (oftentimes before graduation) and beyond.
Online Degrees
Learning that fits your lifestyle
Convenience
- Accessible online anywhere in the world
- Flexible scheduling – take classes part-time or full-time
- Continue to work and be at home with your family
- Transfer-friendly programs shorten time to complete your degree
Value
- In-state tuition rate for all students, regardless of residency
- Same rigor as on-campus programs
Service
- One-on-one interaction with faculty
- 24/7 online tutoring
- Textbooks and course materials available for purchase online through The College Store
- Graduates can participate in Commencement
Class Delivery
- Classes delivered asynchronously through P.L.A.T.O., Penn College's Platform for Learning And Teaching Online
- No required campus visits
Student Life
Stay active in and out of the classroom
Emergency Management Club
Our Emergency Management Club promotes, fosters, and advocates for professional development within the field of emergency management through training, conferences, and professional development opportunities within the emergency management community.
News
07.24.2021
Magazine chronicles kayak outing’s ‘transformational impact’
An article in the July/August issue of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater features a field trip taken by Rob Cooley’s ...
12.16.2020
Emergency management student thrives outside comfort zone
Juggling full-time college classes by day and full-time emergency medical technician work by night, Brooke M. Strubel is earning ...
05.05.2020
Emergency management major anticipates surge in career field
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is upending the norm in most sectors of society, students and faculty in Pennsylvania College of ...
Internship
Your knowledge in practice
Internships are key for career preparation. During the eighth and final semester, apply what you’ve learned in the real world working with an emergency preparedness, response, or recovery organization.
Student Experience
The community as their classroom
Silenced voices echo through survivor’s search for ‘normal’
Emergency Management Technology Online student Robyn Wolfe, a survivor of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, recalls her experience while evaluating the reactions during and after the event.
More Information
Internal and external transfers may carry parallel major courses into the baccalaureate when the grades are 'C' or better. Transcripts should be submitted with the application for admission and will be evaluated by Registrar staff and by academic school staff. By its nature, prior work experience in emergency services, military, and other appropriate work backgrounds will be evaluated for transfer evaluation and placement in the major. The academic school dean and full-time faculty will evaluate credit for life experience for course work from applicants with non-credit training or work experience. Credits awarded for work/life experience will be posted to the applicant’s College transcript after successful completion of at least 12 credits at the College.
Alternative Credit refers to academic credits earned through means other than traditional college course completion, including: credit by exam, articulation, proof of competency gained in high school, work/life experience, and advanced placement.
Visit the Alternative Credit Options page in our Course Catalog for general requirements and procedures and for information on credit through Advanced Placement.
International students who are studying in the United States on an F-1 visa must be enrolled in a full course of study in-person. Students are not permitted to enroll in an entirely online degree. Online degrees are available to international students pursuing the degree from their home country. Students must still meet all admissions criteria for admission to the college and any special admissions requirements that govern pursuit of their chosen major.
- Mr. Benton J Best, County Emergency Management Coordinator, Tioga County Emergency Management Agency
- Ms. Roseann B Cordelli, MPA, Communications Program Manager, Tetra Tech EMI
- Mr. Gaven Crosby, '17, Supervisory Program Manager, FEMA
- Mr. William E Ebersole, JD, CPA, CFE, GISF, Security Compliance/Emergency Manager, Disney Cruise Line
- Mr. John W Magyar II, CEM; MCAS; CHS-V, Senior Environmental Health & Safety Technician, Range Resources-Appalachia LLC
- Mr. Chris E Miller, Chief of Police, Pennsylvania College of Technology
- Mr. Anthony N Subbio, CEM, PMP, MS, Emergency Management Specialist, Tetra Tech, Inc.