About the Program
Business Continuity is how a business prepares for, mitigates, responds to, and recovers from disasters.
Public, private, not for profit and international companies must all have a business
continuity plan. Examples include banks, oil refineries, hospitals, airports, insurance
The diverse students enrolled in CDM have a strong desire to make a difference in
the world. Some have experience in public safety, fire, or emergency medical services,
while others have experience in business, service or hospitality. Many have connections
to volunteer organizations and public service organizations.
Students choose this program because they want to build their knowledge base, develop skills,
and practice what they are learning through community service learning opportunities.
To be successful in this program and successful after graduation it is critical that
you develop outstanding interpersonal skills and a broad knowledge base in the social sciences
in addition to technical knowledge and skills that have been tested through years of
The courses offered in Crisis and Disaster Management are designed for:
- Public safety personnel (emergency management, fire, police, EMS, and dispatchers)
- Institutional emergency planners (schools, hospitals, and facilities)
- Community service providers (Red Cross, relief organizations, and disaster recovery)
- Industrial emergency responders (fire, rescue, and hazardous materials)
- Business continuity planners (banking, corporations, insurance, and manufacturing)
- Identify and prioritize critical business functions and processes, their priorities,
- Assess organizational risk including threat, vulnerabilities and consequences;
- Analyze impacts to critical business functions and processes resulting from disruptions and
disaster scenarios and identify techniques that can be effectively deployed to quantify
and qualify such impacts;
- Design, develop, implement and exercise business continuity plans;
- Identify the three phases of a crisis and describe strategies for reducing the impact;
- Gain a broad strategic perspective of the Critical Infrastructure Protection efforts
of the United States and the Department of Homeland Security;
- Explore quantitative metrics derived from economic interchange and business relationships.
Courses available online.