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Undergraduate Program

The Academy for International Disaster Preparedness prepares students to plan for, respond to, recover from and mitigate damages to all types of disasters not only affecting South Florida, but including those impacting the nation and the world. Many of the faculty in the program are current or senior officials working for the United Nations, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, state and county emergency manager directors as well as leading academic scholars in their respective fields.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Disaster Management is designed to improve the skills of existing disaster practitioners and develop the skills of those interested in entering the exciting field of disaster management.

There are no mandatory prerequisites to enter the undergraduate program once admitted to FIU.

  • Transfer students with an AA from a public college within the state of Florida. Transfer students who have completed an AA degree from a public college within Florida, only need to complete 60 additional credits to earn the Bachelor of Arts degree in Disaster Management. Thirty of these credits (10 classes) are mandatory Disaster Management coursework; the remainder 30 credits (10 classes) are electives or if one has experience in the field, they can earn credit for those experiences through PLA. 
  • Transfer students with an AS from a public college within the state of Florida.
    Transfer students who have completed an AS degree from a public college within Florida, will need to apply for admission and submit transcripts to determine if there are any general education courses (English, math, science, etc.) not yet fulfilled. 
  • Transfer students with an AA degree or AS degree from private or out-of-state institutions. Transfer students who have completed an AA or AS degree from private or out-of-state institutions will need to apply for admissions and submit transcripts to determine if there are any general education courses (English, math, science, etc.) not yet fulfilled. 
  • For entering freshman: the only degree requirements (above the general university graduation requirements-including a total of 120 credits, completion of general education courses, etc.) are the 30 credits (10 classes) in the Disaster Management curriculum. The flexibility of this degree offers students the opportunity to double major.  
  • Prior Learning Assessment: If a student has experience related to the field of disaster management, there is the opportunity to earn up to 30 elective credits for documented college-level learning obtained outside the traditional college classroom.

The educational objectives of the program are aligned with Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Higher Education Core Competencies.

Students can earn coveted FEMA certifications in Incident Command (ICS 300 and 400) as well as the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP) through the disaster management curriculum. These certifications provide our students with a competitive edge in the employment market or in seeking promotion if currently employed. To receive these additional certifications, a student MUST be enrolled in the in-person section of these courses.

 

Required core courses: (27 credits)

  • PHC 4189 Disaster Management Ensuring Success & Avoiding Failure - GL
    This course analyzes disasters for best practices, contributions made by various agencies and potential areas that could be improved upon.
  • PHC 4250 Crisis Leadership in Disasters — GL
    Analyze disasters through methods of leadership. Developing effective leaders who take responsibility and build teams in the preparation, response, and recovery phases of an incident is paramount.
  • DSC 4023 Homeland Security and Disaster Management
    This course evaluates and analyzes the role of community involvement in assisting professional disaster managers in keeping communities safe before, during and after an incident.
  • PHC 3101 Intro to Public Health
    This course examines principles of public health practice, with emphasis on history, philosophy, scope, law and regulations, and recent trends of public health.
  • FES 3804 Disaster Response
    An understanding of the characteristics, functions, and resources of an integrated disaster response system are covering in conjunction with the rules of various emergency management services.
  • FES 3807 Disaster Recovery
    This course emphasizes the policies, topics, & procedures necessary to recover from a natural or human-induced disaster
  • FES 3859 Disaster Preparedness
    Analyze how to protect critical facilities and infrastructure from hazardous
    events. Analyze planning processes for hazard mitigation, disaster recovery, and continuity of operations.
  • PAD 4088 Incident Command Systems

    This course is based on FEMA’s ICS 300 and 400 Courses.

  • FES 4852 Advanced Principles in DM

    This course will analyze natural, man-made, and technical disasters by focusing on critical decision making and lessons learned from actual incidents-domestic as well as international. 

Complete 1 course from the following: (3 credits)