MPA – Disaster Management Degree Navigating Crisis with Strategic Leadership
36
Credit Hours
100% online, 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Prepare to Make a Difference with Our Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Disaster Management Degree Program
You have a passion to make a difference. We do too. Let us help you prepare to save lives with our Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Disaster Management degree. Through our 100% online emergency management master’s degree program, you can learn to assess risks, mitigate hazards, create safe and prepared communities, and respond to natural and man-made disasters within your sector, whether that’s local, state, or nationwide.
We have been pioneering distance education since 1985, giving us the experience needed to create a cutting-edge online learning environment designed to meet your needs. Because our disaster management master’s degree can be completed 100% online with no set login times, you can stay involved in your family, career, or community while you earn your degree.
At Liberty, your success is our success. We strive to ensure that you are provided with the knowledge and skills you need to serve with integrity in emergency and disaster management wherever your career takes you. We don’t just train professionals. We train exceptional, value-driven professionals who are prepared to lead in their fields. Partner with us and make the impact you always knew you could.
Why Choose Liberty’s Master of Public Administration – Disaster Management Program?
As an accredited Christian university recognized for its academic quality, affordability, and accessibility, Liberty is one of the premier universities offering disaster and emergency management master’s degrees. At Liberty, we believe in academic excellence taught from a biblical perspective. Our mission is to Train Champions for Christ, meaning that we can help give you the skills and tools you need to make a lasting impact for Christ as you pursue your career passions.
A career in emergency management can be rewarding in many aspects. Being able to prepare a community or government agency to minimize the risks from emergencies can give you the satisfaction of saving lives. In addition, the continued importance of preparing for hurricanes, floods, or hostage situations ensures that this career path will continue to be in steady demand.
Our professors have real-world experience in public administration and disaster management, allowing them to teach you practical emergency response skills that you can use to save lives and explore exciting career opportunities. At Liberty, you are an individual, not a number, and our professors are dedicated to supporting you as you pursue your goals.
What Will You Study in Our MPA in Disaster Management Degree?
In our disaster management degree program, you’ll explore preventative measures that can help keep your community safe from natural disasters and acts of terrorism. You will also complete coursework centered on working with the political, legal, and financial systems that affect disaster management and prevention.
You will examine terrorism in relation to the homeland security goals of your sector. Understanding the difficulties that might occur for fire and emergency services when dealing with terrorism is key to preparation, response, and recovery actions. Through this training, you can gain a better understanding of the types of terrorism, what tactics they use, and how to respond.
Understanding hazards and how to mitigate them is another large part of disaster management. You can learn how to evaluate the systems you already have in place and then build upon and improve them. The end result will be a process that is resilient, sustainable, and effective.
Our master’s in disaster management online combines homeland security and public administration best practices so you can be better prepared to manage both emergencies and budgeting concerns at any level of government. Armed with a variety of security and response strategies, you can coordinate your anti-terrorism efforts with other levels of government – from local to international threats.
Potential Career Opportunities
Your MPA in emergency management can help prepare you for a wide range of jobs in the emergency response management field. For instance, you could work for a homeland security organization such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Here are a few examples of careers you can pursue at all levels of government:
- Emergency management director
- Emergency management specialist
- Emergency preparedness administrator
- Homeland security officer
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Helms School of Government.
- View the Graduate Government Course Guides (login required).
- This program includes the option to complete a thesis or take electives.
Degree Completion Plan
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Tuition & Aid
Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
Graduate Full Time | $565/Credit |
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Graduate Part Time | $615/Credit |
Military Graduate | $275/Credit |
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
All Tuition & Fees
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for Liberty’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Disaster Management Online Degree
Admission Requirements
- Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
- Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
- Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.
Preliminary Acceptance
If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:
- Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
- Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
- Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
- If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
- Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.
Dual Enrollment
Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.
Transcript Policies
Unofficial College Transcript Policy
Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:
- Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
- Cumulative GPA
- A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
- Degree and date conferred (if applicable)
Official College Transcript Policy
An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.
If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Admissions Office Contact Information
Liberty University Online Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515
Ready to Apply?
Submit your application online or over the phone.
Military
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.
Who May Qualify?
- Active Duty
- Reserve/National Guard
- Veterans/Retirees
- Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
- Current Department of Defense Employees
Available Benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
- Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)*
- 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)
*Not applicable to certificates.
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
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- What Will You Study?
- Tuition & Aid
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