Do Emergency Managers Need a College Degree?

The debates rage on social media. Do emergency managers need a college degree? Now for full disclosure, I am an academic. I write papers and explore the problems we face as  emergency and crisis managers. Do I bring a bias to this debate? Yes, I do. However, I would argue that I bring years of experience and education to the conversation. Before you judge on the topic, here me out, and I would like to hear your opinions in the comment section. 

There are two parts to this debate, do emergency managers need degrees? And what about access to higher education programs?

Photo by Nikolas Noonan on Unsplash

Emergency Management In Academia

Emergency management programs are new to the academic landscape. We can point to the years that emergency management didn't have an academic discipline. Why have we seen the explosion of emergency management and homeland security programs? Because the job has market said that they are needed. 

Let's look at the history of academic research that attempted to answer emergency management's questions. In the past, the discipline of emergency management was not a thing. The questions were still there, and the need to explore them was evident. So who took up the task? 

Like other academic areas of study, emergency management is an offshoot of sociology. The areas that can trace their roots to that area of study include Public Administration, Criminal Justice, Human Resource Management, Urban Studies, Rural Studies, to name a few. There is a reason for going down this road. 

The original disaster researchers were looking at the social impact of these events. We saw the argument emerge that disasters were only disasters if they impact humans. It is still a prevalent part of the dialogue today. And this idea brings up more questions than answers. 

Okay, I know what you are thinking. Could you get to the point, and I will? This conversation must understand the why. 

Photo by Nikolas Noonan on Unsplash

Is EM A Job or a Profession? 

Today, the function of emergency management is in flux. The fundamental question that we are exploring is: is EM a profession? 

Is emergency management a profession, or is it a task? To be called a profession, we must define what a profession is and do we meet that standard? 

A profession is more than a job. It is more than a task that has a checkbox next to it. It is more than a warm body sitting in a seat to meet the requirements of a grant. 

According to the Australian Council of Professionals, A "Profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognized body of learning derived from research, education, and training at a high level, and who are prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others."

Unpacking The Definition

A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards.

I am part of FEMA's Special Intrest Group, which has created the ethical standards for emergency management. Dr. Carol Cwiak of North Dakota State is leading a group of academics and practitioners that have developed ethical standards. The document went out for review and was presented at the International Association of Emergency Managers Conference in Grand Rapids in 2021. (click here for more information)

A profession holds itself out and is accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills. 

Do emergency managers have special skills? As we see EM mature over the years, it is a disservice to the communities and organizations that we serve to say that the position only exists to make grant requirements. Today's emergency manager needs to have working knowledge in many areas of public policy, including land use, economics, environmental issues, humanitarian conditions, housing, urban and rural development, to name a few. EMs must engage with the public, elected officials, the C-Suite, and other disciplines. When the blue sky turns gray or black, we have to be in the position to put historical context to the problem and have relatively deep insight into the issues and how to address them. 

A profession has a widely recognized body of learning derived from research, education, and training at a high level. 

How do we move the profession forward if we do not require a degree to become an emergency manager? Taking this definition of “profession,” we need a body of work that reflects what we do. How do we get that body of knowledge? By studying the issues that we as a profession face. This research is done at the academic institutions of the world. This work is what we are seeing come out of academia today. 

The last half of this statement is about education and training at a high level. This is met by putting the next generation through programs and supporting them. The Emergency Management Institute offers excellent training, TEEX, CDP, and other programs do as well. However, experience is not the same as education. Training is a specific task, where education gives you a complete understanding of the subject. I was trained as a Navy Corpsman, and I went through some excellent and detailed training. I was trained to perform a variety of medical procedures. I even participated in surgeries. Then the Navy sent me to the fleet to treat sick and injured Sailors and Marines. However, I would never assume that my training put me on par with a medical doctor. Does all of the medical experience and training I received replace eight years of school? Absolutely not. However, today some assume that the experience a person may obtain in other disciplines qualifies them to step into the role of an emergency manager.

The Argument For Access

I have seen and understand the argument that access to higher education may not be available to everyone. Access or the ability to afford education are two different things. The question posted on LinkedIn was about equitable access to higher education. Now for this discussion, I want to focus on the professional equation. I will address access to education programs in a future piece. I will make this statement; we need to work on bringing making higher education less costly. I am working toward developing a program that will make it easier and less expensive to obtain a BS and MS in emergency management. 

Conclusion

If we are looking to gain support and grow as a profession, we need to take steps to meet the definition as one. I understand that some talented people may not have gone to school for EM. However, we need to have a minimum standard, and a bachelor's degree needs to be in that equation, in my opinion. Like the criteria for Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, and Public Works, we need to have them for Emergency Management. 

I would like to hear your thoughts below.