Emergency and Crisis Management (MECM)

Help Mitigate the Risk of Natural and Man-Made Disasters in Your Community

The Master of Emergency Management and Crisis (MECM) program prepares you to practice as a highly trained practitioner in the emergency management field through the development of core competencies, from emergency preparedness and planning to legal and ethical decision making to disaster response and recovery.

The frequency of human-induced and natural disasters has dramatically increased since the 1990s. Florida is the fifth highest state with 69 major disaster declarations between 1953 and 2016, as reported by the Congressional Research Service in 2017. For communities to be prepared for, respond to, recover from and mitigate these disasters, an educated workforce of emergency management specialists is required. In this program, you learn and demonstrate the competencies required to lead and manage in this dynamic and complex profession.

Throughout your coursework, you complete 10 core classes and two electives. The curriculum emphasizes a strong ethical, practical and theory-based foundation of emergency and crisis management. You will also have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience through an internship, as well as a capstone course that combines all of the knowledge and skills you™ve gained throughout the program.

Whether you™re currently working in the industry or looking to break into it, this program prepares you to secure management roles in emergency and crisis management for companies such as the City of Orlando, Lockheed Martin, National Military Command Center, Reedy Creek Improvement District, Seminole County Office of Emergency Management and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Complete the fully online emergency and crisis management program in two to three years, depending on the number of courses you enroll in each semester. Plus, the flexibility and convenience of online courses allow you to learn when and where you want so you™re able to balance work, school and life.

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution recognized by UCF or its equivalent from a foreign institution AND a GPA of 3.0 or more (on a 4.0 maximum) in all work attempted while registered as an undergraduate student OR while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student (normally based on the last sixty attempted semester hours); OR, a graduate degree or professional degree or equivalent from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or its equivalent from a foreign institution in a field related to the discipline of the program to which the student is applying.
• Students applying to doctoral programs should refer to the graduate catalog requirements for their program.
• Students applying to doctoral programs must also submit three letters of recommendation, a resume or curriculum vitae, and a written essay.
• International students must demonstrate their proficiency in the English language. International students, except those who are from countries where English is the only official language, those who have earned a degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university, or those who have earned a degree from a country where English is the only official language or from a university at which English is the only official language of instruction, are required to submit a score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS before they can be admitted to the university. A computer-based TOEFL score of 220 or 80 on the internet-based TOEFL (or equivalent score on the paper-based test) or 6.5 on the IELTS is required unless otherwise specified by the program.
• International students applying to master’s or doctoral programs that do not require a GRE (or GMAT), except those that have earned or will earn a Masters or Doctoral degree from an accredited U.S. institution recognized by UCF, must submit a course-by-course evaluation of their official transcripts from a credential evaluation service recommended by UCF. This course-by-course evaluation must show a GPA that is equivalent to a 3.0 from an earned degree that is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree.
• UCF now accepts scanned copies of official transcripts as part of your application materials. You will have the ability to upload these materials during the application process. After you have been offered admission to a graduate program and prior to the beginning of the semester term, you will be required to submit your official transcripts. When obtaining official transcripts, be sure to request that the transcripts show the degrees you have earned.

• those who are from countries where English is the only official language;
• those who have earned a degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university;
• those who have earned a degree from a country where English is the only official language;
• those who have earned a degree from a university at which English is the only official language of instruction; or
• those who have successfully completed UCF English Language Institute Level 8 or higher with a grade of “B” or better at UCF Global.