Before September 11, 2001, the job market for emergency management was already expanding quickly. The movement of populations into the Sunshine States and into risk-prone areas such as coastlines, floodplains, and forests made natural events such as hurricanes, wildfires, and tornadoes far more threatening and challenging to communities and businesses. After September 11, terrorism in all forms including biological and chemical became a crucial and inextricable part of emergency management.<br><br>Only the second such program in New England, the M.S. in Emergency Management program offers 36 credits of interdisciplinary coursework delivered both online and on campus that prepares students for successful roles in disaster mitigation and prevention. Students in the program complete eight required core courses covering topics in hazard mitigation, catastrophe readiness, disaster recovery, emergency incident management, and more. An additional four courses of electives are required for the degree, with the approval of the program advisor students may select courses from areas of study such as criminal justice, fire science, public administration, national security, or another area.<br><br>This graduate program is designed to develop emergency management and related professionals grounded in emergency management principles, social and natural science knowledge, administrative and managerial skills, and technical and personal competencies. The program will contribute to the professionalization of the emergency management community and help cultivate a culture of preparedness and prevention through developing skills to build community capacity to solve problems in emergency situations.