Emergency Planning and Management, B.S.

Plan for emergencies and serve your community during a crisis.

Immaculata’s Emergency Planning and Management (EPM) program prepares you to plan for, manage and respond to today’s increasingly complex disasters.

Learn practical skills to be an asset to organizations preparing for emergencies.
Use case studies from real crises in assignments.
Practice making executive-level decisions and apply what you’re learning right away.

Immaculata’s EPM program is the only bachelor’s degree focused on emergency management in the Philadelphia region and is available 100% online. Our program stands out among competition and is recognized by FEMA.

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At A Glance

Program: Bachelor of Science

Audience: Undergraduate adult learners or traditional, full-time undergraduates

Format: Online, 7-week accelerated classes; face-to-face classes, some offered in the evening; hybrid

Next Start Date: August 25, 2025

Cost (adult learners): $465 per credit

Cost (traditional undergraduates): Full-time tuition

Time to Completion Two to four years, depending on credits transferred

"I chose Immaculata's program in emergency planning and management because this program was specific to emergency managers and the job they perform. The program has helped me gain a better understanding of the incident command system, emergency operations centers and other aspects and agencies that assist me with my responsibilities in the Fire Department. Gaining a clear, functional knowledge of emergency planning and management prepared me to be a better leader within my organization and on large-scale incidents or events. Because of the impact that the program has made on my subject knowledge and leadership skills, I highly recommend this program to future leaders of emergency response across all disciplines."

Martin McCall
Deputy Chief in the Philadelphia Fire Department

Opportunities and Outcomes

Career Outlook

Establish or grow your career in settings that focus on risk mitigation and emergency preparedness, including:

Federal homeland security
Health care organizations
Municipal emergency management

Our graduates work as first responders or emergency managers with organizations such as:

Bucks County Emergency Service
American Red Cross
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

Our program’s LinkedIn group helps students network with emergency management professionals in the field, and EPM graduates can earn lucrative salaries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics director positions have a median salary of over $76,000 a year.

Student Learning Outcomes

The EPM program focuses on developing well-rounded emergency managers with a background in planning, organizational leadership and ethics in an all-hazards environment. You will develop the attributes to:

Anticipate hazards and problems that may arise from an emergency in order to plan and respond effectively.
Make decisions and identify the strengths and weaknesses of possible solutions and the costs and benefits of each action.
Write and communicate professionally, including creating emergency preparedness plans, to inform communities, other agencies and the public.
Work with other organizations, government officials and the general public to coordinate emergency responses.
Lead successfully to ensure effective responses to emergencies by organizing and providing direction to a variety of people.

Program Highlights

Earn FEMA certifications through your coursework. Complete online training in emergency management operations and protocols and earn a certificate that builds your résumé.
Learn from educators with real-world practical experience in emergency response.
Take classes designed by experts and guided by an advisory board that includes a former director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
Participate in a disaster response field experience that includes training (search and rescue, incident command and first aid), realistic scenarios in which you apply your new skills and coaching during the exercise.
Gain résumé-building experience and expand your network through professional internships. Our students have interned with county emergency management agencies and with the southeast Pennsylvania regional counter-terrorism task force.
Participate in research opportunities under the guidance of faculty. Our students have recently studied topics such as firefighter resilience.
Earn a respected credential, ranked one of the best online emergency management degrees by Best Colleges and Student Training & Education in Public Service.

Maximize your previous coursework by transferring up to 72 credits into the program, or earn credit for workplace training through Immaculata’s Credit for Prior Learning program.
You may qualify to be inducted into the widely recognized Order of the Sword and Shield, the academic honor society dedicated to emergency management. The society promotes scholarship, professional development and ethical standards in the protective services.
You may qualify for military or veterans’ discounts, and your advisor may be able to help you apply for EPM-specific scholarships.

Course Overview

Curriculum

Major Courses 51 Credits

Leadership Dynamics 3 credits
Team Leadership and Coaching 3 credits
Principles of Emergency Planning & Management 3 credits
Emergency Management Systems 3 credits
Legal Aspects of Emergency Management 3 credits
Risk Analysis and Threat Assessment 3 credits
Preparedness & Mitigation 3 credits
Response & Recovery 3 credits
Human Dimensions: Communications Planning & Disaster Management 3 credits
Emergency Operations Plan 3 credits
Human Resource Management 3 credits
Capstone Proposal Design 3 credits
Research Project 3 credits
Crisis Leadership 3 credits
Research Methods 3 credits
Ethics 3 credits
Cultural Modes of Expression 3 credits

Liberal Arts Core 36 Credits (15 Fulfilled By Major)

Composition (Writing) 3 credits satisfied by major; 6 credits total
Natural & Physical World (Lab Science) 3 credits
Quantitative Reasoning (Mathematics) 3 credits, satisfied by major
Human Creativity (Art, Literature, Music) 3 credits
Social Consciousness (Sociology, Psychology, Economics) 3 credits
Historical Consciousness (History) 3 credits
Global Society (Foreign Language/Culture) 3 credits, satisfied by major
Pursuit of Faith (Religion, Theology) 3 credits satisfied by major; 6 credits total
Pursuit of Wisdom (Philosophy) 3 credits satisfied by major; 6 credits total

Electives 54 Credits

Total 126 Credits

Admissions Requirements

You can apply to Immaculata’s adult professional programs in four simple steps. If you have questions, please contact us via admiss@immaculata.edu or by phone at 484-323-3060.