Emergency Management Programs at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks
The University of Alaska at Fairbanks appears in our ranking of the 50 Most Affordable Schools for an Emergency Management Degree.
With a Bachelor of Security and Emergency Management (BSEM), a student can find work in almost any government agency. The University of Alaska at Fairbanks offers this type of program for undergrads. It features an emergency management core that is worth 12 credits and includes Introduction to Human Resources Management, Organizational Theory and Behavior, Leadership in Dangerous Contexts and Disaster Response Operations and Management. Students also take 12 credits of electives and can do an internship in lieu of an elective. The university asks students to choose from six concentrations too: homeland security, public safety management, fire administration, emergency management, emergency medical and public health management or cybersecurity and information technology management.
Three different minors are available for undergrads that go along with this program. One is a minor in military security studies. This program looks at the ways in which the military protects its personnel and the general public. It includes courses such as History of the American Military, Disaster Response Operations and Management and Principles of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The university’s military science and leadership program is only available to ROTC students. They receive credit for some of their ROTC experiences too. Students can also minor in emergency management and select a major in another subject area.
The only graduate program in emergency management in Alaska is available from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. This Master of Security and Disaster Management (MSDM) program is open to students from other states because it all takes place online. All students receive in-state tuition too. The program features 10 courses but only has seven required classes. Students will take a Security and Disaster Management Capstone class and choose two electives from the 600 level. Their required courses include Legal Aspects of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Disaster Management Policy, Human Security and Community Planning in Emergency Management.
About the University of Alaska at Fairbanks
The University of Alaska at Fairbanks is the largest public university in Alaska and the flagship campus in the school system of the same name. Established in 1917 as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, it was the first institution of higher learning in the state. It opened prior to Alaska becoming a state and offered opportunities for both local students and those willing to move west. The college opened in 1922 and became the University of Alaska in the 1930s. It became the University of Alaska at Fairbanks in later years as it opened other campuses under the same name. The university also uses the names Alaska and UAF.
Both Washington Monthly and U.S. News and World Report now rank UAF within the top 250 universities in the nation, and <i>Forbes</i> and <i>Times</i> also consider it a top college in the United States. <i>Times</i> also added UAF to its list of the world’s best universities and ranked it between 301 and 350. UAF saw its enrollment grow after Alaska joined the United States and is now home to more than 8,700 online and residential students.
The University of Alaska at Fairbanks Accreditation Details
UAF has regional accreditation from the organization responsible for accrediting schools in the northwest: the NWCCU. With NWCCU accreditation, Alaska can give students the financial aid packages that reduce the cost of attendance and accept the credits they earned while attending other schools. Some of the other accreditation that the university has applies to its programs in psychology, education, dental hygiene, and music.
The University of Alaska at Fairbanks Application Requirements
The final deadline for students applying to the MSDM program is June first, but the university will accept students and let them start in the spring or the summer. They have until the middle of October to apply for the spring semester and the beginning of May to apply for the summer semester. Students who have a bachelor’s degree in emergency management from UAF and a GPA of at least 3.25 do not need to take the entrance exam. Those who have a lower GPA from UAF and those who earned their degrees from other schools must take and score at least 20 on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Exam. The university asks for official college transcripts and a completed application. It may require that students interview for a spot in the MSDM program, especially students with a lower GPA.
Students applying to the BSEM program need to submit their applications by June 15 for the fall semester or the deadlines for the spring and summer semesters. UAF will accept undergrads who completed the minimum 16 credits of core high school courses, maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher and have a diploma. The 16 credits of core classes include Algebra and advanced English, life and social science classes. Students with a GPA of between 2.5 and 3.0 need to score at least 18 on the ACT or 970 on the SAT. After completing the UAF application, prospective undergrads will submit their transcripts and their test scores if needed.
Tuition and Financial Aid
UAF offers in-state, nonresident and WUE rates. The WUE is the Western Undergraduate Exchange program, which provides students from western states with a reduced tuition rate. Alaska undergrads pay $223 per credit hour, while most nonresidents pay $789 per credit hour. Students in the WUE program pay $335 per credit hour. The university increases the costs for students taking advanced classes in the 300 and 400 levels. Those students pay $269, $404 or $835 per credit hour based on whether they are Alaska residents, members of the WUE program or nonresidents. All graduate students majoring in emergency management pay the same rate of $513 per credit hour.
When designing financial aid packages for residential and traditional students, UAF will look at the student’s FAFSA and completed application packet to determine the individual’s needs and merit. Students who qualify for the federal work study program can apply for jobs on the Alaska campus and get jobs before the semester starts. Federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans go to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and the government offers PLUS loans for both graduate students and the parents of undergrads. Emergency management majors at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks can also apply for some of the university’s scholarships.