Emergency Management Programs at Union Institute and University
Union Institute and University appears in our ranking of the Top 10 Online Emergency Management Degree Programs.
Union Institute and University offers both residential and online programs for students through its online and satellite campuses. One of the programs that students can complete in either way is its emergency services management program. Students can transfer up to 90 credits from other schools and get credit for their volunteer or professional experiences too. The program teaches them how to respond to emergency and crisis situations and how to prepare for those events. Graduates of the institute now work in positions such as game wardens, air marshals, and government agents. Students who graduated from police academies can also transfer into the program and get internship credits for their academy work.
With two concentrations to choose from, students can customize the program to fit their needs. They can choose from a concentration in criminal justice management or organizational leadership. Majors must take five required courses, including Homeland Security, Emergency Services Administration and Legal, Economic and Ethical Issues in Emergency Services. The institute also offers electives such as Incident Command System, Social Dimensions of Disaster, Organizational Psychology and Terrorism and Extremism.
One benefit of the program is that it starts several times every year. The institute starts a new session every eight weeks and allows emergency services management majors to enroll as soon as they need. They can sign up to take classes full-time or part-time and take classes in Cincinnati, Ohio or on one of the other regional campuses. Both the emergency services management program and the criminal justice management program include the same benefits.
Students in the criminal justice program must do a capstone to finish up their work. This requirement asks them to create a portfolio to showcase some of their past work. Majors must also take six required classes, including Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Management, Supervision in the Criminal Justice Field, Forensic Science Management and Criminal Justice Management Information Systems. Students can choose from certain electives too such as Drugs in Society, Management of Fatal Officer Involved Shootings, Capital Punishment and Gangs and Gang Subcultures.
About Union Institute and University
The Union Institute and University is a school of higher learning located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Also called UI&U, it has a strong reputation for the online programs that it offers. Established in 1964 after the founder of the institute met with other education leaders at a conference, it began as a school that offered limited residency programs for students. Most students spent just a few days or weeks on the campus of the Union for Research and Experimentation in Higher Education. They did the rest of their work at home. This center became known as The Union and began adding new programs towards the end of the 1960s. Those programs allowed students to spend less time on the institute’s campus and more time at home.
It became the University Without Walls in the early 1980s and The Union Institute in 1989. This new school would acquire a college in Vermont and add more residential programs. UI&U now offers more than 40 degree programs and has options for undergrads and graduate students. Some of its newer degree programs include only online work, though some programs still ask students to spend time on one of the institute’s campuses. In addition to the campus in Cincinnati, there are several campuses in California and Florida. UI&U is now one of the largest online colleges in the world in terms of enrollment.
Union Institute and University Accreditation Details
Though UI&U does not have accreditation for its criminal justice and emergency management programs, it does have regional accreditation. That comes from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and its North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCASC). HLC accreditation is important because it lets the institute award credit to students who already went to college and those who have professional experience. It is also one of the main requirements for students who need financial aid.
Union Institute and University Application Requirements
At the top of each page on the UI&U website is a button that students can click on to load its application. Students of all types and backgrounds will use the same application. It asks them to create a student profile and account. They need to enter a full name, home address, home phone number, social security number and date of birth. The institute asks for other biographical information too, including details about the student’s race and gender. Once the student creates an account, he or she can use it to log into the system and fill out the application.
UI&U does not ask for a test score or a transcript because it believes that all students have the right to take college classes. Students who need help can contact the admissions department over email and ask any questions they have. The institute will arrange for a counselor to contact the student over the phone to talk about the benefits of taking classes online and what they can get out of an emergency management program. Counselors can also assist students with applying for financial aid.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students attending UI&U pay $545 per credit hour when they take classes towards a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. The institute and university also charges a $44 technology fee for part-time students and a $88 technology fee for full-time students. That fee is due at the beginning of the semester when students pay their tuition. UI&U offers a prior learning credit assessment that lets students get credits for their professional and other experiences. They’ll pay $65 per credit hour for the assessment.
The net price calculator is a handy tool offered by the university that helps students see their total costs based on the number of classes they will take. This also lets them see how much financial aid they need before completing the FAFSA. Firefighters working in California can qualify for a grant that covers some of the costs of the emergency management program. There are also multiple scholarships available for public workers and another program that gives students $100 for each credit hour of classes they take up to a total of 30 credits each year. Union Institute and University notifies students of their award packages before they start an emergency management degree program.