Emergency Management Certificates
Advance Your
Career
Learn skills to lead through crisis.
Add to your credentials and gain a competitive edge with certificate options for undergraduate or graduate credit. This 15-credit certificate in emergency management means you'll be prepared to lead communities through crisis when things go wrong. No transcripts are required for either certificate, and you are not required to pay when you register.
100% Online
Fully online courses gives you more flexibility as you juggle personal commitments, pursue higher education and work full-time.
Level Up
Whether you want to take on more leadership in your current role or are looking for a career change, our certificates are for you.
Verified Knowledge
Each certificate means you'll earn a digital badge that shows you have the critical skills your career requires.
Certificate Options
The certificate you choose depends on your prior education and professional goals.
Undergraduate Emergency Management Certificate
For undergraduate credit, you must be a graduate of a recognized high school or have a high school equivalent.
Cost
Total cost is $5,812.50 for all 15 credits in the 2024-25 year.
*Estimated cost based on 2024-25 Wisconsin resident tuition rate of $362.50 per undergraduate credit, plus $25/credit Distance Education fees.
Graduate Emergency Management Certificate
Graduate credit can be earned if you hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and have a 3.0 GPA. Applicants with a GPA of less than 3.0 may be considered for provisional admission.
Cost
Total cost is $8,912.10 for all 15 credits in the 2024-25 year.
*Estimated cost based on 2024-25 Wisconsin resident tuition rate of $569.14 per graduate credit, plus $25/credit Distance Education fees.
Emergency Management Certificate Courses
All five courses must be completed to satisfy requirements for the certificate program, and the program can be completed in as little as two years.
Strategic Emergency Preparedness, Planning and Implementation
Spring 2025 and 2027
Strategic planning and budgeting is an important component in emergency planning and mitigation. Gain knowledge on how to acquire and allocate resources and gain long-term support.
Principles and Practices of Disaster Response Operations and Management
Summer 2025
Examine the roles and responsibilities of the players in a crisis event. Explore the various problems associated with response operations such as: inadequate preparedness measurers, safety and site security, politics and record keeping.
Disaster Recovery
Fall 2025 and 2027
Examine disaster recovery in isolation. Explore the short- and long-term effects of disasters, as well as the process of putting families, businesses and communities back together. You will learn the importance of reconstruction and public relations.
Political and Policy Dimensions of Emergency Management
Spring 2026 and 2028
This course focuses on the political processes and phenomena associated with mitigating the likely effects of extreme events, responding to them and recovering from them. The course is intended to help emergency managers to develop an understanding of local, state, federal and intergovernmental politics affecting and affected by extreme events.
Principles and Practices of Emergency Management
Fall 2026 and 2028
The overall objective of this course is to examine the theories, principles and practices of emergency management. The philosophy of comprehensive emergency management will be discussed with the four attendant steps, which include mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. In addition, legal issues involving state and federal laws affecting emergency operations will be studied.
Meet a
Phoenix
"The professors were very responsive and extremely knowledgeable, each with many years of operational experience. There was great networking and discussions in the various courses. There was a great mixture of students who were new to [emergency management] and those already working in the field from both the public and private sectors."
Brian Bieniek '23
Emergency Management Certificate | Agency Continuity Manager, WI Dept. of Children and Families
Email Ericka
For additional information about the certificate program, contact Ericka Rohde-Bloch. She's our expert for all things related to the emergency management certificates.