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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 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 credit for documented college-level learning, which is learning obtained outside the traditional college classroom.

  • 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.

Students are able to 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. These courses (like the rest of the curriculum) are offered online and in-person. In order 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 4952 Advanced Principles in DM

    Designed to provide students an opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in the field by applying the knowledge, skills, and analysis gained in previous courses to a real-world problem or challenge. Prerequisite: Junior with permission from department or Senior Standing.

Complete 1 course from the following: (3 credits)