The best degree for emergency management depends on your interests and career goals. Many EDM professionals obtain a master’s degree, however before doing so, a bachelor’s degree is necessary. 

If your goal is to seek roles with greater responsibility, requiring a high-level of expert knowledge, consider a master’s degree. Students gain deep insights into prevention and planning, managing, and the development of legislation and policies related to emergency management. 

If your goal is to gain comprehensive, foundational knowledge in emergency management, a bachelor’s degree may be the right choice. Undergraduate programs typically provide training and instruction in preparing for a disaster, including response, recovery, risk assessment, and communication during crises. 

Though these terms may be used interchangeably, each term focuses on different aspects of handling crises and disasters.

Emergency Management: This is the broadest term among the three and encompasses the entire process, including the planning, organizing, coordinating, and implementing measures to prevent, reduce, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters. Emergency management is comprehensive and involves all types of hazards — natural, technological, and human-caused.

Disaster Management: Disaster management applies once an emergency has escalated to a level that necessitates external assistance to cope with its impacts. This process focuses on managing and reducing impacts on life, property, and the environment. It also encompasses the development of long-term strategies aimed at recovery and rebuilding.

Emergency Preparedness: This focuses on planning, training, and resource allocation before an emergency to enhance the response capabilities of individuals, organizations, and communities to disaster impacts.

Any hiring decisions are made by FEMA and you should always consult their website. But several degree programs may prepare you, depending on the specific role you are interested in. Here are some of the most relevant degrees:

Emergency Management: Directly relevant to FEMA's core mission, a degree in emergency management, or emergency and disaster management, provides comprehensive education in disaster response, recovery, reduction, and preparedness.

Homeland Security: This degree focuses on protecting the United States from internal and external threats, including natural disasters, which aligns closely with many of FEMA's responsibilities.

Environmental Science: This degree can be useful, especially for roles related to managing environmental catastrophes and understanding ecological impacts associated with natural disasters.

Public Health: For roles focused on disaster health management, a public health degree can provide insights into preparing for and responding to health-related aspects of emergencies.