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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.

Florida International University (FIU) offers a 30-credit Bachelor of Arts in Disaster Management through the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work. The program's curriculum is interdisciplinary in nature and scope and designed to develop and improve the skills of disaster practitioners and 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, who have completed an AA degree, will need to complete 60 additional credits to earn the Bachelor of Arts degree in disaster management. Thirty of these credits (10 classes) are mandatory courses work within the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness; the remainder 30 credits (10 classes) are electives. The Academy of International Disaster Preparedness is offering students who have prior life experience within the field up to 30 elective credits.

  • For freshman and existing FIU students, the only degree requirements (above the general university graduation requirements) are the 30 credits (10 classes) in the disaster management curriculum.

The disaster management curriculum is designed to meet and address the core competencies required by the international community, specifically those that pertain to the United Nations. The educational objectives of the program are aligned with Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Higher Education Core Competencies.

The program consists of the following 10 courses:

Required courses for the major (6 classes)

Elective courses for the major (any 4 classes)

One Global Learning (GL) designated course is required for graduation.

  • 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 respond to a natural or human-induced disaster
  • FES 3842 International & Comparative Disaster Management
    This course will discuss practical and theoretical issues associated with international disaster management.
  • FES 3854 Risk & Vulnerability Assessment
    This course examines the processes and actions emergency managers take in assessing risk & vulnerability of communities prior to a man-made or natural disaster.
  • FES 3859 All Hazard Preparation
    Analyze how to protect critical facilities and infrastructure from hazardous
    events. Analyze planning processes for hazard mitigation, disaster recovery, and continuity of operations.
  • PHC 4940 Internship in Disaster Management
    Onthe-job learning experiences at approved organizations allow interns to assist and observe all job functions and duties related to various aspects within their respective industry.
  • GLY 3034 Natural Disasters
    A geological look at catastrophic events including earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, mass movements, hurricanes, floods, and desertification. Emphasis on the geologic setting in which these natural disasters take place. Special attention will be given to compare similar disasters in the geologic past.
  • COM 3461 Intercultural Communication — GL
    Students develop the skills to build and maintain relationships across cultures by focusing on similarities and differences in communication behaviors, perceptions, language usage and social practices.
  • COM 3520 Designing Communication Strategies
    This course develops skills in designing communication strategies - the plans for communicating information related to specific issue, event, situation, or audience.
  • DSC 4012 Terrorism & Homeland Security — GL
    This course examines issues of terrorism and homeland security.
  • CPO 4034 Politics of Development & Underdevelopment
    This course is an analysis of the causes of development and underdevelopment in Third and Fourth World countries. It includes an analysis of major theoretical approaches to understanding development problems, as well as an analysis of the roles of major national and non-national actors.
  • SOW 4679 Behavioral Health Issues Related to Disasters
    Students develop the skills to build and maintain relationships across cultures by focusing on similarities and differences in communication behaviors, perceptions, language usage and social practices.