How To Become an Emergency Management Director

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How Long Does It Take, What Degree Do You Need, and More

Emergency Management Directors

Emergency Management Directors plan and direct disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies or hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.

Salary
$84310
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality



What degree do you need

Recommended degree level

Bachelor’s Degree

We did a survey to ask other Emergency Management Directors what degree they had when they became an Emergency Management Director. Here are the results.
Bachelor’s Degree
52%


Master’s Degree
20%


Associate’s Degree
16%


One of the most common questions that we always get is what major or degree do I need to become Emergency Management Directors or what courses do I need to take.

We also asked Emergency Management Directors what did they major in college or university and here are the top 5 most popular majors that came up.

Critical Incident Response and Special Police Operations
Protective Services Operations
Homeland Security
Crisis, Emergency and Disaster Management
Critical Infrastructure Protection

Emergency management directors typically need a bachelor’s degree. Many emergency management directors get their degree in business or public administration, fire science, or emergency management. Although some smaller municipalities or local governments may hire applicants with a high school degree, these applicants usually need more extensive work experience in emergency management.



How hard is it

Difficulty
Hard

You will need a considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge or experience to be an Emergency Management Director. For example, an accountant must complete 4 years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Careers in this difficulty category will usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. These careers usually involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Similar careers include sales managers, database administrators, chemists, and art directors.


Related work experience required
4 to 6 years

4 to 6 years
32%


1 to 2 years
20%


2 to 4 years
20%


Job training
6 months to 1 year

6 months to 1 year
24%


None
20%


1 to 3 months
20%



License and certifications

Do you need any license or certification
Requirements vary by state

Many agencies and states offer voluntary certificate programs to help emergency management directors obtain additional skills. Some states require directors to obtain certification within a certain timeframe after being hired in the position.


Skills required

We asked other Emergency Management Directors if they could only have 5 skills, what would they be. Here is what they said.

1. Service Orientation what does this mean
2. Speaking what does this mean
3. Critical Thinking what does this mean
4. Coordination what does this mean
5. Complex Problem Solving what does this mean

= Hot in-demand that most employers are looking for


Knowledge required

Just like any other job, you will need certain know-hows to excel at your job. Emergency Management Directors are generally very knowledgeable in these 5 key areas.

1. Public Safety and Security what does this mean
2. Law and Government what does this mean
3. Administration and Management what does this mean
4. English Language what does this mean
5. Education and Training what does this mean


Learn more about Emergency Management Directors

Summary
Job Description
Salary
Requirements (You are here)
Quiz

Related to Emergency Management Directors Requirements

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