Oct 05, 2024  
ARCHIVED 2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
ARCHIVED 2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Emergency and Disaster Management, BS


Total number of hours for the program: 120.

The Bachelor of Science in Emergency and Disaster Management is offered either as residential or through distance education. Residential students may not enroll in online courses except during the summer sessions.

General admission requirements for undergraduate students can be found on the WCU Admission Requirements page. Be sure to apply for the appropriate degree delivery method of online or residential.  

Those seeking admission to study through the online mode must have completed an AA, AS, or AAS degree from a community college or have substantial progress toward “44 General Core” courses that satisfy the General Education/Liberal Studies requirement for North Carolina Community College System.

Coursework taken in Fire Science, Emergency Medical, and Emergency Preparedness programs at North Carolina community colleges may transfer into the major (a maximum of 18 elective credit hours). Fifty percent of earned degree hours and fifty percent of all courses in the major must be at the 300/400 level. Twenty-five percent of the degree program must be taken at the 300 or above level through WCU in order to be awarded a degree from WCU.

Training certification courses do not transfer in lieu of university academic credit. Note that transfer students may exceed the minimal 120-hour requirement in order to obtain this degree due to the transfer of credits from other institutions. 

Liberal Studies Hours (42 hours)


Liberal Studies Program Requirements  

Major Requirements


The major requires 48 hours as follows:

Major Electives (39 hours)


Students must take the following:

Area One: Conceptual/Technical (9 hours)

Area Two: Social/Political (9 hours)

Area Three: Experiential/Interdisciplinary (6 hours)

Area Four: Free Choice Among EDM Electives (15 hours)

Area 4: Free Choice Among EDM Electives (15 hours)


Take five of the following:

Choose EDM courses not otherwise being used to satisfy requirements from areas 1, 2, and 3 (internships, research studies, EDM 493, and all other EDM courses qualify).

Up to 15 hours of transfer credit can be applied to this category as EDM 19x or EDM 39x credit.

General Electives (30 hours)


General Electives (30 hours) are required to complete the program. These electives can be made up of emergency management courses that are not being used to satisfy the Major Elective (Specialty Area) requirements. 

This requirement may be satisfied by choosing an interdisciplinary minor, or double major (e.g., Criminal Justice).