Emergency Administration & Planning

Career potential

Enjoy working with people in high pressure situations? Are you the type of person who likes to plan ahead? Are you calm under pressure or possess strong leadership skills? You could be a prime candidate for a career in emergency administration and planning.

With a background in this growing profession, you can help individuals, businesses, governments and nonprofit organizations prepare for and respond to disasters, and assist them in recovering from floods, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, terrorist attacks and epidemics.

Employment opportunities may be found as:

• a local and state emergency coordinator
• a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program analyst
• a business continuity specialist
• a hospital disaster planner
• an American Red Cross emergency director

The University of North Texas’ Emergency Administration and Planning program has nearly 1,000 graduates working for local and state emergency management and homeland security offices, FEMA and the Environmental Protection Agency. Others work in the private sector for Cura Emergency Services, Dell Perot Systems, Texas Instruments and Titan Systems.

Graduates also work in humanitarian organizations such as the American Red Cross. Some have advanced their careers abroad in Barbados, Germany, Kenya and Qatar.

UNT's Career Center can help prepare you to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies, and interview preparation.

Majoring in emergency administration and planning

UNT’s EADP program was founded in 1983 and was the first of its kind in the nation. By pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Administration and Planning, you will develop strong skills in disaster planning, interpersonal communication and leadership. These skills will help you educate communities about mitigating natural, technological and civil hazards.

You may opt to study emergency management at the local, state and federal government levels and in nonprofit organizations by choosing electives in public administration. Or you may choose to focus on emergency preparedness in private organizations by selecting elective courses in business administration.

You will learn from accomplished faculty members who have researched hazards and catastrophes nationally in Texas, California, New York and Louisiana and internationally in the Dominican Republic, Peru, India, Sri Lanka and Haiti. They have also worked in emergency management and related fields for county governments, FEMA, the American Red Cross and corporations in the private sector.

To gain practical experience, you will take some classes in the Emergency Operations Center lab. The EOC lab provides a setting similar to a functioning EOC within a community. Furthermore, it provides leadership experience in emergency operations by exposing you to emerging information technologies, to critical decision-making and disaster exercise design.

Required courses in the major include Introduction to Emergency Management, Hazard Mitigation and Preparedness, Disaster Response and Recovery, and EOC Design and Operations. Available electives are Technology in Emergency Management, Hazardous Materials Planning and Management, International Disasters, Terrorism and Emergency Management, Special Populations in Disaster, and Disaster Exercise Design. In addition, study abroad classes are available (in Mexico, Turkey or Thailand).

Getting hands-on experience

The Emergency Administration and Planning program, a unit in the Department of Public Administration, emphasizes work in the community. Students often volunteer with the local chapter of the American Red Cross and other nonprofit agencies, or participate in other disaster-related community service activities. After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 and hurricanes Katrina and Ike, more than 100 of our students served in the American Red Cross emergency operations center in Dallas, taking phone calls from victims’ families. Other students have helped write emergency plans for the university or conduct Community Emergency Response Team training.

You may also join UNT’s student chapter of the International Association of Emergency Managers to participate in other social, educational and training activities related to the field.

In some cases, you might assist with a professor’s research work. Students have helped faculty members study responses to natural disasters and generate new perspectives on the future of emergency management. Joint student-faculty publications have appeared in Public Administration Review, Disaster Prevention and Management, Journal of Emergency Management, and Journal of Spanish Language Media.

If you have no experience in emergency management, then an internship is required. During your junior or senior year, you will participate in an internship that will provide additional skills. Students have interned with the FEMA Region VI headquarters in Denton, and others have served in internships across Texas and internationally. The department’s internship coordinator is available to help you search for an internship that will accent and add to your classroom knowledge.

Preparing for UNT: High school students

We encourage you to fulfill the graduation requirements for the Recommended Program or the Distinguished Achievement Program in high school.

In your junior year, take the SAT or the ACT and have your scores sent to UNT.

In your senior year, submit your application for admission by March 1 (apply online at www.applytexas.org) and request that your high school transcript be sent to the UNT admissions office.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses can count toward college credit at UNT. For details, visit www.unt.edu/credit.

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

Preparing for UNT: Transfer students

If you’re attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Articulation web page, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic advisor/counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

UNT’s Transfer Center will help you make a successful transition to college life at UNT by connecting you to a peer mentor and other valuable campus resources. Each year, we welcome more transfer students than any other institution in the state. The center is in the University Union, Room 320. More information is at transfercenter.unt.edu.

Charting your path through academic advising

After enrolling at UNT, you can declare a major in emergency administration and planning and select a minor field of study. When designing a degree plan, the academic advisor will assist you in fulfilling university and major degree requirements. The EADP academic counselor’s office is in Chilton Hall, Room 289.

You can also utilize UNT’s new online degree audit system. This interactive tool can help you stay on track for graduation and prepare for advising appointments. You can monitor your progress 24/7, even viewing the impact of various majors. The system is easily accessible through my.unt.edu using the “my academics” link on the student center page.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.