Graduate Studies

Emergency Management
2024-2025

Director: Jill J. Myers
Graduate Committee Chairperson: Patricia A. Walton
Graduate Coordinator: Patricia A. Walton
Office: Stipes Hall 403
Telephone: (309) 298-1038 Fax: (309) 298-2187
Website: wiu.edu/leja
Location of Program Offering: Macomb, Online

Learning Outcomes

For student learning outcomes, please see wiu.edu/provost/learningoutcomes.

Program Description

Due to the ever-increasing threats facing the law enforcement community the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration developed a PBC with an emphasis in emergency management. This PBC will afford students the education and knowledge on how to survive and work in a disaster zone as well as provide critical skills that will increase job possibilities and salaries with an emergency management focus.

The certificate program will provide and /or substitute course work needed for professionals in emergency management. The focus of the program is to provide students with an advanced knowledge of emergency management organizational, planning, strategies, threat assessment, evaluation, and leadership.

Certificate Requirements

EM 460G Weapons of Mass Destruction in Public Health (3)
LEJA 502 Management Issues in Public Safety Administration (3)
EM 521 Search and Rescue (3)
EM 522 Advanced Mitigation and Recovery Techniques (3)
EM 561 Foundations of Emergency Management (3)
EM 565 Evacuation Planning and Response (3)

TOTAL:  18 s.h.

Course Descriptions

Emergency Management (EM)

460G Weapons of Mass Destruction in Public Health. (3) Provides an overview of weapons of mass destruction from the public health and emergency management perspectives. Examination of various forms of weapons of mass destruction and discussion of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention practices facing future professionals is included.Prerequisites: CHEM 101 and EM 304, or permission of the instructor.

521 Search and Rescue. (3) Overview of basic and advance principles of search and rescue techniques. Discusses team development, search primers, signaling, tracking skills, plan development for emergency management and first responders. The course covers SAR protocols for land, wilderness, urban and water operations. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

522 Advanced Mitigation and Community Recovery Techniques. (3) Overview of the basic and advance principles of community mitigation and recovery techniques for businesses, organizations, hospitals, and communities after manmade and natural disasters. This course focuses on first responders preparedness and mitigation principles and adaption strategies. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

561 Foundation of Emergency Management. (3) Provides an overview of emergency management and disaster sciences for application in public health, education, health care, and other settings. Topics include basic emergency management concepts, the four phases of the disaster cycle, specific operational and policy frameworks for disaster management, roles of public health, schools and health care in disaster, and special topics in health and emergency management.

565 Evacuation Planning and Response. (3) Focuses on emergency evacuation issues resulting from natural disasters and human intentional injuries. Students will learn to develop proper evacuation techniques for a wide range of areas, such as public schools, colleges and universities, as well as private buildings, and governmental institutions.

Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA)

502 Management Issues in Public Safety Administration. (3) Focus on the public safety agency from the standpoint of top and middle management, including (but not limited to) labor relations, personnel management, fiscal administration, and the integration of internal and external operations. Prerequisite: LEJA 501 or FS 481G or permission of the instructor/chair.