Bachelor of Emergency Management

What is this course about?

CSU's Bachelor of Emergency Management focuses on the concepts associated with emergency risk management, including hazard and risk assessments, emergency operations management and the recovery management of communities following the impact of an emergency event.

About the course

The Bachelor of Emergency Management aims to develop a practical as well as theoretical base for those people who have responsibilities in the field of Emergency Risk Management.

The course is designed to meet the needs and interests of a variety of client groups ranging from public bodies concerned with the protection of life and property such as local government, the police, fire, ambulance, state emergency services and community and health services to a myriad of private sector groups (e.g. the insurance industry, manufacturing industry).

Research has shown that the amount of damage being caused to communities around the world from both natural and technological hazards is increasing steadily. The management of natural and technological disasters has been formalised through government legislation establishing emergency management organisations which must develop and maintain community counter-disaster preparedness and plans at all levels of the community.

To enable our communities to become more resilient and sustainable from an emergency management perspective, we must ensure that they continue to develop their emergency risk management capabilities. The development and conduct of emergency management activities (e.g. hazard and risk assessments, emergency management plan development, operations management strategy development, community recovery strategy development) will assist in reversing the hazard trend by minimising the risk of hazards occurring and the consequences when they do occur. Such activities are an essential aspect of comprehensive emergency management practice for communities.

Articulation

The Associate Degree in Emergency Management is an exit-point only course within the Bachelor of Emergency Management.

Credit

Depending on student/ applicant qualifications, credit can be awarded for appropriate industry training applicable to the field of emergency management (e.g. some relevant TAFE Certificate 3, 4 and Diploma level courses and specific industry courses such as State level Introduction to EM courses, humanitarian aid programs etc.) or previously completed tertiary education subjects, thereby reducing the total number of subjects required to complete the degree.

CSU has deemed that some courses provided by Emergency Management Australia's Australian Emergency Management Institute (AEMI) at Mt Macedon in Victoria (including the Advanced Diploma of Public Safety) have sufficient concepts, principles, educational content and assessment regimes to make them equivalent to subjects within the Bachelor of Emergency Management. Credit applications are dealt with on a case by case basis and determined by a thorough analysis of the applicant's submission.

Key learning areas

Subjects are grouped according to three key Emergency Management and a series of Core and Elective learning areas to meet the objectives of the courses.

The key learning areas are:

Emergency Management

The Emergency Management subjects provide students with a foundation level knowledge, understanding and appreciation in the key areas of emergency management planning, emergency operational management and emergency recovery principles and practices associated with the management of emergencies within our communities.

Social Sciences

This grouping of subjects provide foundation knowledge and understanding in areas of Psychology and Sociology relevant within the Emergency Management discipline. The subjects emphasise the application of psychology to the human services, while in sociology, the aquisition of knowledge and understanding of social issues (e.g. gender, ethnicity, community) is the focus of attention.

Human Resource Management and Management

The subjects in this key learning area are designed to provide emergency management practitioners with the knowledge and skills associated with the management of human resources and general management concepts and principles. The subjects in this sequence cover topics ranging from financial planning, organisational behaviour, the role of the human resource manager and the processes of training and development in organisations.

Climate Change and Environmental Science

The subjects in this learning area provide the student with an understanding and appreciation of the impact that climate change is having on our communities and society and the relevance of effective environmental management within our communities. Subjects in this area cover topics ranging from climate change, water policy and management, natural resource management to sustainability.

Spatial Science and Geographical Information Systems

This learning area provides a range of subjects that are designed to enhance the students’ understanding and appreciation of the role that spatial science and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have within our communities and the potential they provide for enhancing the management of hazards and risks impacting upon our communities. Subjects in this area cover topics ranging from spatial science, image analysis, remote sensing to principles of GIS and GIS applications.

Law and Policing

This learning area provides students with an understanding and appreciation of the specialist linkages that exist between the areas of emergency management and the law enforcement and community/ public safety sector. Subjects in this area cover topics ranging from applied legal studies, investigative interviewing, team management and leadership to terrorism awareness.

Course components

The Bachelor of Emergency Management course is made up of a series of core (required to be studied) subjects, including all ten (10) emergency management (EMG) subjects as well as seven (7) non EMG subjects. On top of these 17 core subjects, students are required to select a further four (4) subjects from the elective subject pool.

The emergency management core subjects fall into the three key areas of emergency management planning, emergency operations management and emergency recovery management.  Each key area is studied over 12 to 18 months, with subjects within each area designed to follow on from the previous, providing students with a step by step appreciation and understanding of the key concepts, principles and practices associated with that aspect of emergency management.

The core non-EMG subjects are organised so that some are studied concurrently with the earlier EMG subjects and the remainder are studied consecutively with latter EMG subjects.
Students who successfully complete the 14 subjects (128 credit points) required for the Associate Degree (approximately 2/3 of the way through the degree program), may elect to exit the program and receive the Associate Degree in Emergency Management.

Your course is recognised by industry

The Bachelor of Emergency Management is a nationally recognised award.