The Doctor of Science degree requires a total of 60 semester credit hours. Required coursework includes 42 hours in administration and policy, practice areas, and research methods and statistics, plus a minimum of 18 hours of dissertation credit. In addition, applicants must hold a master’s degree in emergency management or a related field from a institutionally accredited school. While courses are delivered online, students are required to participate in a week-long seminar on campus once each academic year, for the first three years of their program. All Emergency Management programs are only offered online. International students must remain in their home country to be eligible for admission to these programs.
Upon completion of the required 42 hours of coursework, doctoral students must pass three qualifying exams. Accommodations will be made to support students with either onsite or offsite qualifying exam administration. After students have passed all three exams, they may advance to doctoral candidacy.
Doctoral candidates will complete an applied research dissertation. The candidate must enroll for a minimum of 18 hours of dissertation credit during candidacy. All requirements for the degree must be completed in ten years.
Application Deadlines
Applicants for the Doctor of Science with a major in emergency management are considered for admission for the fall semester only, and all required application materials must be received in Graduate Studies by January 31.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 31 | Fall Admission |
Applications completed after January 31 will be considered for admission in the fall semester of the following year.
Application Materials Required for the DSc with a Major in Emergency Management
Applicants for the Doctor of Science in Emergency Management degree must hold a master’s degree from a regionally accredited school and must submit all of the following documentation to Graduate Admissions to be considered for admission:
Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, AL 36265-1602
- Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
- Non-refundable $35 application processing fee.
- A Statement of Purpose (minimum three pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font) setting forth career goals and research interests.
- A resume, including education, employment, and service activities.
- Three Graduate Reference Forms completed by individuals who can provide qualitative assessment of applicant’s potential for success in doctoral coursework and citing potential professional leadership ability. Reference forms will be submitted electronically. Instructions for submission will be sent through email to the applicant upon submission of the online graduate application.
- A Writing Sample consisting of a paper written in an academic setting, with a minimum length of five pages. If you do not have such a sample available, then an example of technical or professional writing from within the past five years should be submitted.
- Official transcripts from all colleges/universities with degrees posted. To be considered for admission, applicants must hold a degree from an institutionally accredited institution or its foreign equivalent. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not need to request a transcript from the university.)
- Official test scores on the General Test of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) taken within five years of enrollment.
- International student applicants must see the International Student Applicants section of this catalog for other application and enrollment requirements.
Admission Requirements for the DSc with a Major in Emergency Management
Applicants are admitted on a selective basis by the faculty members of the program, upon review of the completed application package.
Minimum Requirements for the DSc with a Major in Emergency Management
An overall 3.00 GPA is required on all coursework attempted for the doctoral degree. Transfer credit cannot be used to raise the GPA to the required 3.00.
Continuous Enrollment Requirement
The DSc program requires continuous enrollment in regular semesters (Fall and Spring), and all leaves of absence must be approved by the Program Director. Any breaks in continuous enrollment without an approved leave of absence will result in the student's removal from the program. A student may request readmittance when extenuating circumstances are present.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Integrative Seminar | ||
| In-residence; two hours each; six hours required | ||
| EM 802 | Integrative Seminar (1st year) | 2 |
| EM 804 | Integrative Seminar (2nd year) | 2 |
| EM 806 | Integrative Seminar (3rd year) | 2 |
| Administration and Policy | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Disaster Management Principles and Practice | ||
| Interdisciplinary Disaster Theory and Research | ||
| Institutional Context and Emergency Management Policy | ||
| Systems Thinking and Applications in Emergency Management | ||
| Practice Areas | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Hazards Risk Management and Community Resilience | ||
| Risk-Based Response and Recovery Strategy Development and Operations | ||
| Emergency Management Program Management | ||
| Research Methods and Statistics | ||
| Select four of the following: | 12 | |
| Research Design | ||
| Advanced Data Analysis | ||
| Cost-Benefit Analysis | ||
| Qualitative Research | ||
| Evaluation Research | ||
| Directed Research | ||
| Directed Research | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Voluntary and Nonprofit Disaster Management | ||
| Health Care Systems in Disaster | ||
| Risk Communication | ||
| Crisis Leadership and Management | ||
| IT Applications for Emergency Management | ||
| Spatial Analysis and GIS for Emergency Management | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Dissertation | 18 | |
| Dissertation Research (must be repeated at least six times) | ||
| Total Hours | 60 | |
60 Doctoral Semester Hours Required for this Degree
Graduation
All students must apply for graduation by the given deadline of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Please see the Graduation and Comprehensive Exam section of this catalog for more information.