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Emergency Management

Program and Application Information
Department Chair:Dr. Daniel Klenow
Email:daniel.klenow@ndsu.edu
Graduate Coordinator:Dr. Jessica Jensen
Department Location:Minard Hall
Department Phone:(701) 231-5595
Department Web Site:www.ndsu.edu/emgt/
Application Deadline:February 15 for fall semester
Degrees Offered:Ph.D., M.S.
Test Requirement:GRE (All applicants who have not completed a master's degree in the United States.)
English Proficiency Requirements:TOEFL ibT 71; IELTS 6

Program Description

The mission of NDSU's Emergency Management Program is to create a cadre of graduates with extensive theoretical and applied knowledge in emergency management who can advance the field and discipline of emergency management. The program is built on a core of emergency management and methods/theory courses to help students approach the study of disasters and emergency management from the emergency management disciplinary perspective. Additionally, the program draws from other disciplines that enhance the development of processes and techniques to deal with emergencies and disasters.

The master's and doctoral degree programs in emergency management at NDSU are campus-based. Potential students are encouraged to visit the campus and meet faculty and current graduate students.

Master of Science Degree

The comprehensive and challenging Master's degree programs in Emergency Management are intended to explore the academic research literature related to emergency management as well as provide students with opportunities to apply their knowledge through research and/or practicum. The program is built on a core of emergency management courses to help students learn how human beings create, interact, and cope with hazards, vulnerability, and associated events. The program emphasizes the study of how human beings cope with hazard events through activities related to preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.

The Department of Emergency Management offers two tracks in its master's degree program. The first option - the thesis track - is a research-focused degree track that entails a combination of emergency management course work and research methods. This option is ideal for graduate students who intend to pursue a doctoral degree in Emergency Management or a related discipline and for those students who want to complete a traditional master's degree. The second option - the comprehensive study option - is a more practice-based track with course work in emergency management and a significant practicum requirement.

Doctoral Degree

North Dakota State University offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Emergency Management designed to prepare graduates for careers teaching future generations of emergency management students in higher education programs, conducting research that describes and explains patterns, processes, change, and effectiveness/efficiency related to emergency management, and/or policy development and analysis related to emergency management.

The degree program is built on a core of emergency management courses to help students learn how human beings create, interact, and cope with hazards, vulnerability, and associated events. The program emphasizes the study of how human beings cope with hazard events through activities related to preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Additionally, the degree program requires students to choose two areas of concentration built on courses from disciplines outside of emergency management to complement their emergency management educational foundation.

This comprehensive and challenging program is committed both to extensive research and its practical application in the areas of emergency management. Throughout their graduate career, students will have the opportunity to conduct research and work in the field.

The Ph.D. is awarded in recognition of significant depth of understanding and scholarly achievement in emergency management. The recipient must complete all of the required course work, pass three written comprehensive exams (one on emergency management theory, one on the two functional areas in which the student has specialized, and one on research methods), complete a novel and significant research project for the dissertation; and successfully defend this research in an oral examination. The student's progress will be reviewed by a supervisory committee that is responsible for reviewing the student's plan of study, written comprehensive examinations, dissertation proposal, and dissertation defense.

Admissions Requirements

The Department of Emergency Management at NDSU is selective in choosing graduate applicants for entry into the master’s and doctoral programs. Admission is competitive reflecting the department's commitment to small, high quality, student cohorts that match the mentoring capacity of the faculty.

Applicants will be evaluated in a two-stage process. In the first stage, the applicant’s Graduate School application, letters of reference, GRE scores (if applicable), and academic writing paper samples will be reviewed by the Department of Emergency Management faculty. Applicants demonstrating goodness-of-fit with the Department of Emergency Management’s mission and goals and an aptitude for graduate study will be invited to complete the second stage of the admissions process. 

Admissions Process

The two-stage admissions process for graduate studies in the Department of Emergency Management is as follows:

STAGE ONE

  1. Applicants must first complete the Graduate School's online application form  and submit the required materials. 
  2. Applicants must submit transcripts from the higher education institutions they have attended to the Graduate School.
  3. Applicants must submit three letters of reference through the Online Application tool. Academic references are preferred.
  4. All applicants who have not completed a master's degree in the United States must submit GRE scores. If an applicant has completed a master's degree in the United States, then GRE scores are not required but still strongly recommended. It is helpful to have as much data as possible about applicants and their aptitude for graduate work in our program. In no case are specific GRE discipline tests required. At this time, however, no specific score totals are used as a cutoff. Applications are evaluated holistically using all indicators of student aptitude for successful completion of graduate study in this program. Applicants must submit GRE scores by requesting that ETS-GRE send the NDSU Graduate School their score. 
  5. Applicants must submit electronic copies of two writing samples through the Online Application tool. The samples may be a publication, material from prior course work, or specifically written for this application. The samples do not have to focus on emergency management or disasters. The samples must be written in English. Writing samples are used to gain information on the applicant's writing style and ability to write research-based papers. Samples submitted in support of an application would ideally be eight or more pages in length. In addition, to meet the objective of the admission criteria, the paper must employ formal citations. Writing samples will most typically be library-based research papers but papers based on original data gathering are also encouraged. The latter might be more likely to come from an applicant with a master's degree.

STAGE TWO

  1. Applicants invited to participate in the second stage of the admissions process will take part in a conference call interview with two or more of the program faculty. Applicant interviews are designed to provide two-way communication between the faculty and prospective applicant. Faculty will ask questions but will also want the applicant to pose questions about the program and departmental educational objectives. The interview should assist the applicant and faculty to further assess the goodness-of-fit between the program and the applicant. Interviews will also evaluate the applicant's ability to engage in evidence-based reasoning.

We are most likely to accept doctoral applicants who demonstrate their understanding of the concepts included in the following list of books: 

  • Mileti, D. (ed) (1999). Disasters by design: A reassessment of natural hazards in the United States. Washington, DC: John Henry Press.
  • Rubin, C. (ed) (2007). Emergency Management: The American experience 1900-2006. PERI.
  • Sylves, R. (2008). Disaster policy & politics. Washington, DC: CQ Press.
  • Tierney, K., Lindell, M., & Perry, R. (2001). Facing the unexpected: Disaster preparedness and response in the United States. Washington, DC: John Henry Press.
  • Wisner, B., Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., & Davis, I. (2004). At risk: Natural hazards, people’s vulnerability and disasters. New York: Routledge.

The emergency management faculty at NDSU believe that the best doctoral degree program in emergency management will be made up of a diverse student body. We welcome applicants to the doctoral degree program with master's degrees from a variety of disciplines; applicants from all countries; applicants with different professional backgrounds; and applicants with varying goals and interests. We want to ensure, however, that applicants entering the program are knowledgeable about emergency management and some of the literature that provides the foundation for the discipline. Therefore, when applicants are interviewed during the application process, the faculty expects that the best candidates will demonstrate their familiarity with the major concepts presented in the books listed above.

By asking potential doctoral students to enter the program with foundational knowledge of the emergency management literature, the department hopes to accomplish several goals. First, in reading the books on the reading list, prospective students will be able to confirm their desire to pursue a doctoral education in the discipline of emergency management. Second, the department assumes that students who undertake this reading in preparation for their application interview will be bright, motivated, and passionate about the study of emergency management. Third, and finally, a basic understanding of the emergency management literature will help students coming into the program from a variety of backgrounds succeed once they begin their studies at NDSU.

Financial Assistance

Both teaching and research assistantships are available, contingent on departmental and faculty research funds. All students are automatically considered for graduate assistantships, unless they request otherwise, so no separate application process is required for such consideration. Awards are based on past academic and professional performance. The review process is highly competitive.

Emergency Management Master's Thesis Track

Core
SOC 700Qualitative Methods 13
SOC 701Quantitative Methods 1,23
EMGT 720Theory, Research and Practice3
Disaster Phases
EMGT 761Preparedness Theory and Practice3
EMGT 762Mitigation Theory and Practice3
EMGT 763Response Theory and Practice3
EMGT 764Recovery Theory and Practice3
Electives
Select 3 of the following:9
Comprehensive Emergency Management Planning
Spatial Analysis in Emergency Management
Hazard, Risk, and Vulnerability Assessments
International Emergency Management
Vulnerability and Functional Needs in Emergency Management
Business Continuity & Crisis Management
Voluntary Agency Disaster Services
Disaster and Culture
Disaster Analysis
Special Topics
Advanced Research Methods
Practicum
EMGT 795Field Experience3
Thesis
EMGT 798Master's Thesis (minimum 6 - maximum 10 credits, only 6 count toward degree)6
Total Credits39
1

Students must have completed an undergraduate research methods course prior to enrolling in Quantitative and Qualitative Methods.

2

Students must complete a statistics course as a prerequisite for Quantitative Methods.

Those students lacking in field experience will be expected to complete an applied, field-based emergency management practicum; however, students with ample field experience in emergency management will be expected to complete a research practicum to fulfill the practicum credits. The research practicum can be fulfilled by participating in a member of the faculty's research or by the student conducting his/her own research under the supervision of a faculty member. The student and his /her adviser will determine the type of practicum a student ought to take.


Emergency Management Master's Comprehensive Study Track

Core
EMGT 720Theory, Research and Practice3
EMGT 761Preparedness Theory and Practice3
EMGT 762Mitigation Theory and Practice3
EMGT 763Response Theory and Practice3
EMGT 764Recovery Theory and Practice3
Electives
Group A: Emergency Management Elective Courses
Select four of the following:12
Comprehensive Emergency Management Planning
Hazard, Risk, and Vulnerability Assessments
International Emergency Management
Issues in Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Vulnerability and Functional Needs in Emergency Management
Business Continuity & Crisis Management
Voluntary Agency Disaster Services
Disaster and Culture
Disaster Analysis
Special Topics
Group B: Critical Thinking and Analysis Elective Courses
Select two of the following:6
Spatial Analysis in Emergency Management
Qualitative Methods 1
Quantitative Methods 1,2
Applied Statistics
Advanced Research Methods
Practicum
EMGT 795Field Experience6
Comprehensive Study Paper
EMGT 797Master's Paper3
Total Credits42
1

Students must have completed an undergraduate research methods course prior to enrolling in Quantitative and Qualitative Methods.

2

Students must complete a statistics course as a prerequisite for Quantitative Methods.

Those students lacking in field experience will be expected to complete an applied, field-based emergency management practicum; however, students with ample field experience in emergency management will be expected to complete a research practicum to fulfill the practicum credits. The research practicum can be fulfilled by participating in a member of the faculty's research or by the student conducting his/her own research under the supervision of a faculty member. The student and his /her adviser will determine the type of practicum a student ought to take.


Doctorate in Emergency Management

Core
Theory and Methods
SOC 700Qualitative Methods 13
SOC 701Quantitative Methods 1,23
EMGT 720Theory, Research and Practice3
STAT 725Applied Statistics3
EMGT 730Advanced Research Methods3
Emergency Management Functional Areas
EMGT 761Preparedness Theory and Practice3
EMGT 762Mitigation Theory and Practice3
EMGT 763Response Theory and Practice3
EMGT 764Recovery Theory and Practice3
Functional Area Specialization (complete two courses)
Preparedness Theory II
Mitigation Theory II
Response Theory II
Recovery Theory II
Electives
Group A: Emergency Management Elective Courses (complete seven courses)21
Comprehensive Emergency Management Planning
Spatial Analysis in Emergency Management
Hazard, Risk, and Vulnerability Assessments
International Emergency Management
Issues in Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Vulnerability and Functional Needs in Emergency Management
Business Continuity & Crisis Management
Voluntary Agency Disaster Services
Disaster Analysis
Special Topics
Practicum
EMGT 794Practicum/Internship 46
EMGT 895Field Experience1-15
Dissertation
Dissertation15
Total Credits70-84
1

Students must have taken an undergraduate or graduate research methods course prior to enrolling in both Quantitative and Qualitative Methods.

2

Students must have taken a statistics course prior to enrolling in Quantitative Methods.

3

Other Electives

4

Practicum

Sarah Bundy, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2013
Research Interests: Comprehensive Emergency Management, Planning, and Development of Emergency Management as an Academic Discipline

Carol Cwiak, J.D., Ph.D.
Western State University, 1995
North Dakota State University, 2009
Research Interests: Preparedness and Mitigation, Business Continuity, Law and Emergency Management

Yue (Gurt) Ge, Ph.D.
Texas A&M, 2013
Research Interests: Land Use Planning & Emergency Planning, Hazard Mitigation & Disaster Recovery, Environmental Hazards Management, Spatial Analysis

Jessica Jensen, Ph.D.
North Dakota State University, 2010
Research Interests: Response, Recovery, and Preparedness, Voluntary Agencies in Disasters, Development of Emergency Management Academic Discipline

Daniel J. Klenow, Ph.D.
University of Notre Dame, 1977
Research Interests: Special Populations, International Disasters, Emergency Management Theory and Methodology