Emergency and Crisis Management

Overview

Specifically, the mission of the Emergency and Crisis Management program offered by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas , is to provide current and future emergency and crisis management leaders with a well-rounded graduate learning experience, so that they are able to effectively address natural, intentional, and technological disasters.

Students will learn how to create and analyze emergency plans for organizations and communities, lead during challenging periods, and offer pathways for community resiliency. In addition, the program will teach students about legal and political issues relevant to disasters and terrorism.

UNLV was one of the first universities to create an Emergency Management Master’s degree program after the September 11th attacks. The program continues to grow and develop, while increasing its partnerships with agencies and experts in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. 

This program is geared for individuals who are working full-time and cannot easily come to campus. The courses are principally completed on-line, accompanied with five visits to campus over long weekends.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the evolution of emergency management policy and practice in natural, intentional and technical disasters to include the scientific principles in defining, measuring, planning and recovering from these events.

• Identify the characteristics, growth and trends of terrorism as well as the underlying social, political and economic causes as it relates to emergency management.

• Differentiate the authority, responsibility, legislation and policies between levels of government tasked with managing natural, intentional and technical disasters.

• Evaluate organizational leadership theories and individual styles as well as decision making models used in coordinating with internal or external stakeholders.

• Investigate community vulnerability and resilience to include the psychological, economic and sociological impacts on individuals and groups through the development and implementation of exercise elements and organizational response plans.

• Analyze the principles in the prevention, planning, risk, mitigation, response and recovery, culminating in the design of a comprehensive emergency management program incorporating operational procedures and available resources.