Master of Science (M.S.) Program

Master of Science (M.S.) degree in the Engineering Management program with a focus in Crisis, Emergency, and Risk Management

The George Washington University Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, supported by the GWU Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management, offers a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Engineering Management with a focus in Crisis, Emergency, and Risk Management. The 36-credit-hour master's-level program is designed to provide an interdisciplinary graduate education for persons engaged in or seeking professional careers in crisis, disaster, and emergency management in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Students applying for and accepted to the program take courses in the evening hours at The George Washington University Main Campus in Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC. Currently, all courses are offered in the traditional classroom mode, one evening per week per course, over an academic semester. Distance education courses are not available.

The 36 credit hour (12 courses) Master's Degree Program requires completion of

  • Four Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Core Courses (listed below),
  • Four Required Crisis, Emergency, and Risk Management focus area courses (listed below), and
  • Four Approved Elective Courses, at least two of which must be from the Crisis, Emergency, and Risk Management focus area (listed below).

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Core Courses

For the Master of Science (M.S.) degree, the following four core courses (12 semester hours) are required:

  • EMSE 6001 The Management of Technical Organizations
  • EMSE 6410 Survey of Finance and Engineering Economics
  • EMSE 6020 Decision Making with Uncertainty
  • EMSE 6801 Systems Engineering I

Required Crisis, Emergency, and Risk Management Focus Area Courses

The four required focus area courses (12 hours) required are:

  • EMSE 6305 Crisis and Emergency Management,
  • EMSE 6310 Information Technology in Crisis and Emergency Management,
  • EMSE 6315 Management of Risk and Vulnerability for Hazards and Terrorism,

    and either

  • EMSE 6325 Health and Medical Issues in Emergency Management

    or

  • EMSE 6330 Management of Terrorism Preparedness and Response.

Approved Crisis, Emergency and Risk Management Focus Area Elective Courses

Four electives (12 hours) are required, at least two of which must be selected from the following:

  • EMSE 6540 Management of Information and Systems Security
  • EMSE 6300 Homeland Security: The National Challenge
  • EMSE 6320 International Disaster Risk Management
  • EMSE 6325 Medical and Public Health Emergency Management
  • EMSE 6330 Management of Mass Terrorism Preparedness and Response
  • EMSE 6335 Geographic Information Systems for Emergency Management
  • EMSE 6998 Directed Studies (Individual projects accomplished outside of the formal classroom setting)
  • EMSE 6345 Disaster Recovery and Organizational Continuity
  • EMSE 6350 Hazard Mitigation in Disaster Management
  • EMSE 6240 Environmental Hazard Management
  • EMSE 6992 Special Topics courses covering topics such as Weapons of Mass Destruction and Crisis Leadership and the Management of Catastrophes
  • EMSE 6820 Program and Project Management

Entrance Requirements

Admission to the Master of Science degree program requires an appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized institution and evidence of a strong academic background and capacity for productive work in the field selected. All applicants must submit scores from he Graduate Record Examination general test, except applicants from SEAS undergraduate programs and those applying to special cohort and contract programs. In general, a grade average of B (3.0 on a scale of 4.0) in the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work is required, and most successful applicants have scores higher than 720 on the quantitative section of the GRE.

Please see the EMSE web site for additional program information. For information on admission and program requirements please consult the The George Washington University Bulletin for Graduate Programs.