Emergency Management Goes Digital

Beginning Fall 2014, students looking to earn an M.S. in Emergency Management at Adelphi will have the benefit of taking the course exclusively online.

The master’s degree joins the M.S. in Healthcare Informatics in offering the program fully online, which will benefit the students of University College, according to the program’s director, Meghan McPherson.

“It provides greater flexibility for our students,” she said. “Many are nurses, teachers, police officers or firefighters who don’t work normal hours. Their schedules are always changing, so it’s much more convenient for them to be able to have the whole week to do what they need to do.”

Required courses for the program, such as Introduction to Emergency Management, Health Management in Times of Disaster, and Organizational Planning and Response, can now be taken online. Emergency management electives like Public Policy Administration in Emergency Management and Securing the Homeland are courses that have also been added to the online mix.

“Providing courses online will likely encourage more people to join the program,” said Tanya Fischer, a student in the program. “I have found some online courses to be challenging, but the structure of emergency management courses proves that online courses done right can be just as good as being there in person.”

The decision to go online allows Adelphi and the program to stay competitive, Ms. McPherson admits. But there are also many other benefits to the switch.

“It reduces the factor of geographic limitations and provides a whole new pool of potential applicants,” Ms. McPherson said. “It is really about how convenient we can make the program for students to fit into their hectic lives.”

University College Dean Shawn O’Riley, Ed.D., added: “The University is extremely pleased to continue to expand its online offerings. We believe it is important to continue to meet the needs of working professionals with high quality, innovative online program offerings that help students achieve their career and educational goals. Adelphi has committed significant personnel and time to these endeavors and expects them to reflect the same quality and commitment to the student that all Adelphi programs exhibit.”