Frequently Asked Questions

NDEMU’s structure, with three schools focused on different aspects of the emergency manager’s career, is designed to empower emergency managers in every phase of their career. The university structure encourages stronger collaborations and partnerships among government agencies, academia, the private sector, and non-profit organizations, facilitating knowledge exchange and resource sharing. The university structure affords a greater spectrum of academic programs compared to traditional training institutions and prioritizes the development of critical thinking skills, emphasizes intellectual growth, establishes theoretical foundations, and prepares individuals for diverse roles and challenges to prepare the emergency management community for the threats ahead.

Transitioning to the university structure gives former students the opportunity to continue their training, education, and professional development through schools tailored to their career needs.

• The Emergency Management Institute will continue to exist within NDEMU to provide foundational training and development for early career emergency managers.
• The School of Disaster Leadership will provide professional development and continuing education for mid- to advanced career professionals and will encompass enrichment programs, like the Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship, and certificate programs.
• The School of National Resilience will build capacity outside the traditional emergency management community, including disaster response, recovery, and mitigation.

Following its transition from EMI to NDEMU, the university will continue to have courses reviewed and accredited by the American Council on Education (ACE) and International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). Currently, 214 offered courses are ACE accredited and 320 are accredited through IACET.

One of the core aspects of NDEMU will be to provide training to emergency management professionals where they are. This means a focus on working with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government agencies to enable local training opportunities. In addition, NDEMU will expand access to in-person and virtual training and education by establishing satellite locations throughout the nation with FEMA Regions and select university partners.

At the conclusion of training through courses and programs provided by the NDEMU, students will receive a certificate of completion and may be eligible for continuing education units (CEUs), or college transfer credits through the American Council on Education (ACE), Fredrick Community College, or the University of Maryland Global Campus, dependent on the course, program and student. The NDEMU will not be issuing degrees.

EMI offers the Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship Program and the first course of the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation certificate program.

• The Vanguard Executive Crisis Leaders Fellowship Program is a senior level leadership program focused on disruptive changes in emergency management and crisis leadership. The NDEMU will continue to offer cohorts of this exciting new program.
• The Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Certificate offers a dynamic and specialized program designed to empower emergency management professionals to effectively navigate, plan for, and respond to the impacts of climate change.

Additional certificates are under development, including the Socio-Economic Vulnerability Certificate for Emergency Management and the Cybersecurity Certificate for Emergency Managers. Both certificates are planned for release in 2025.

Effective August 26, 2024, students completing courses will receive a National Disaster & Emergency Management University certificate of completion.