Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Homeland Security and Emergency Management Degree Program
The Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management degree program highlights the application and understanding of preparation, leadership and communication in crisis contexts. The courses are structured to cultivate critical thinkers and ethical decision makers, prepared for disasters and emergency situations.
Students in the Bachelors in homeland security and emergency management degree program will be proficient in:
- Emergency planning and management
- Disaster response and recovery
- Terrorism preparation and prevention
- Hazard mitigation planning
- Communication skills during and after emergencies
- Leadership skills and practices related to emergency response
What is a Homeland Security and Emergency Management Degree?
Homeland security is the effort to reduce or prevent terrorist attacks and provide a coordinated response to minimize damage from attacks. Emergency management focuses on preparedness, response and recovery of hazards and disasters. The program focuses on four domains:
- Emergency management frameworks and practice
Learn the five essential mission areas – protection, prevention, mitigation, response and recovery – necessary for meeting FEMA’s National Preparedness Goal - Organizational management and leadership
Examine management principles, strategies and processes; determine how the management lifecycle process affects organizations; manage budgets and resources in emergency management organizations - Research and critical thinking
Evaluate data and evidence to support strategies for dealing with disasters, perform comprehensive hazard analyses - Ethics, relationship building and community engagement
Evaluate options for managing public and social media communications during emergency and disaster situations, evaluate measures for engaging the community in dialogue, examine how disasters impact communities and humans
Why Earn Your BS in Homeland Security and Emergency Management at GCU?
GCU’s bachelor’s degree program teaches homeland security and emergency management through the perspective of a Christian worldview. This means graduates are able to articulate the emergency management professional’s moral and ethical obligation to protect the public and promote equitable distribution of resources and community health from a Christian perspective.
Furthermore, students will learn how to be proficient communicators and effective leaders through relevant class assignments. This includes designing emergency action plans using local, state and federal guidelines, managing budgets and resources, and performing hazard analyses. A student graduating from GCU with a bachelor’s degree in homeland security will have the necessary skills to protect, defend and lead in high-risk situations.
Homeland Security and Emergency Management Degree Requirements
Grand Canyon University’s Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management is only offered online. To apply to the Colangelo College of Business’s Bachelor in homeland security and emergency management degree program, follow the steps listed for admission requirements. The standard college admission process applies.
What Can I Do with a Bachelor in Homeland Security and Emergency Management?
Graduates are qualified for a career as an emergency management director, emergency planner, homeland security officer, recovery specialist, security manager and/or director or a police supervisor. Homeland security and emergency management majors are armed with the skills needed to provide direction and relief in the hardest times.
General Education Requirements
General Education coursework prepares Grand Canyon University graduates to think critically, communicate clearly, live responsibly in a diverse world, and thoughtfully integrate their faith and ethical convictions into all dimensions of life. These competencies, essential to an effective and satisfying life, are outlined in the General Education Learner Outcomes. General Education courses embody the breadth of human understanding and creativity contained in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Students take an array of foundational knowledge courses that promote expanded knowledge, insight, and the outcomes identified in the University's General Education Competencies. The knowledge and skills students acquire through these courses serve as a foundation for successful careers and lifelong journeys of growing understanding and wisdom.
Requirements
Upon completion of the Grand Canyon University's University Foundation experience, students will be able to demonstrate competency in the areas of academic skills and self-leadership. They will be able to articulate the range of resources available to assist them, explore career options related to their area of study, and have knowledge of Grand Canyon's community. Students will be able to demonstrate foundational academic success skills, explore GCU resources (CLA, Library, Career Center, ADA office, etc), articulate strategies of self-leadership and management and recognize opportunities to engage in the GCU community.
Course Options
- UNV-112, Success in Science, Engineering and Technology & Lab: 4 credits
- UNV-103, University Success: 4 credits
- UNV-303, University Success: 4 credits
- UNV-108, University Success in the College of Education: 4 credits
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to construct rhetorically effective communications appropriate to diverse audiences, purposes, and occasions (English composition, communication, critical reading, foreign language, sign language, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of English grammar or composition.
Course Options
- UNV-104, 21st Century Skills: Communication and Information Literacy: 4 credits
- ENG-105, English Composition I: 4 credits
- ENG-106, English Composition II: 4 credits
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to express aspects of Christian heritage and worldview. Students are required to take CWV-101/CWV-301.
Course Options
- CWV-101, Christian Worldview: 4 credits
- CWV-301, Christian Worldview: 4 credits
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to use various analytic and problem-solving skills to examine, evaluate, and/or challenge ideas and arguments (mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, physical geography, ecology, economics, theology, logic, philosophy, technology, statistics, accounting, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of intermediate algebra or higher.
Course Options
- MAT-154, Applications of College Algebra: 4 credits
- MAT-144, College Mathematics: 4 credits
- PHI-105, 21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: 4 credits
- BIO-220, Environmental Science: 4 credits
Requirements
Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to demonstrate awareness and appreciation of and empathy for differences in arts and culture, values, experiences, historical perspectives, and other aspects of life (psychology, sociology, government, Christian studies, Bible, geography, anthropology, economics, political science, child and family studies, law, ethics, crosscultural studies, history, art, music, dance, theater, applied arts, literature, health, etc.). If the predefined course is a part of the major, students need to take an additional course.
Course Options
- HIS-144, U.S. History Themes: 4 credits
- PSY-102, General Psychology: 4 credits
- SOC-100, Everyday Sociology: 4 credits
Program Core Courses
Course Description
This course provides an overview of the Department of Homeland Security and the national preparedness goal, including its mission areas and core capabilities. Students learn the key principles, participants, functions, structures, and challenges within the discipline with a focus on a systematic, community-based, all-hazard approach to emergency management. This course also includes concepts related to accreditation of emergency management programs and professional associations, credentials, and certifications.
Course Description
Drawing upon real-world management situations, this course is a study of individual and group behavior in organizations through detailed coverage of the functions of management, individual differences/diversity, leadership, motivation, decision making, organizational design, and organizational change and development. Emphasis is placed on how an understanding of organizational behavior leads to effective management practice.
Course Description
This writing-intensive course focuses on the mission area of protection, with an emphasis on the capabilities necessary to protect the country from acts of terrorism and manmade and natural disasters. Students integrate knowledge of risk and vulnerability assessment and operational structures, resources, and processes to develop comprehensive measures to secure the nation and its interests against varied threats. Prerequisite: EMM-301.
Course Description
This course examines the processes and principles of mitigation planning for emergency management. Students examine the benefits of mitigation and the development and implementation of appropriate mitigation measures to reduce the impact of disasters on people and the environment. Prerequisite: EMM-301.
Course Description
This course explores the dimensions of domestic and international terrorism and focuses on the core capabilities necessary for preventing terrorist acts. Students examine the role of intelligence and information sharing, security measures, and methods of disruption used for impeding terrorism. Prerequisite: EMM-301.
Course Description
The knowledge and practice gained in this course provide the emergency manager with management and supervision skills and techniques critical to success in the emergency services environment. Focus is on practices necessary for saving lives, protecting the built and natural environment, and providing for the populace following a disaster. Prerequisite: EMM-301.
Course Description
This course addresses disaster recovery and the core capabilities required to promote comprehensive recovery within communities impacted by disaster. Students examine issues related to restoring infrastructure, businesses and the economy, and human and environmental health. Prerequisite: EMM-301.
Course Description
This course is a study of the challenges associated with managing projects within the context of the overarching management framework of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Emphasis is placed on balancing competing priorities related to human recourses, time constraints, and physical resources/materials, as well as managing and controlling project scope. Prerequisite: MGT-420.
Course Description
In this writing-intensive course, students demonstrate competence in emergency management through the development of an individual project. Students select an aspect of emergency management and complete a project that demonstrates knowledge of core capabilities and critical thinking and accounts for the complexities of dealing with emergencies and disasters. Prerequisites: EMM-306, EMM-311, EMM-400, EMM-412, EMM-450, and MGT-440.
Online
* Please note that this list may contain programs that are not presently offered as program availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability of the program.
* The Department of Education defines how an institution must calculate a program's On-Time Completion rate for federal disclosure purposes. The On-Time Completion rate is based on a program's published required number of months to complete all degree requirements as provided in the institution's catalog. Completion statistics are updated every January and are based on the cohort of students who started the program in the same year and then graduated within the published program length.
Online and Evening program disclosures (48 months)* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.