Bachelor of Science in
Emergency Services
The B.S. in Emergency Services degree program at ERAU is one of just a few university programs to carry the “Certificate of Recognition” from Fire Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE). That means the curriculum addresses all critical areas that modern fire departments are tasked to perform.
Students can select from a specialization in Aviation Emergency Management or Fire & Emergency Services and learn from faculty members who have both academic backgrounds and proven expertise as emergency responders. Plus, when students complete courses through Embry-Riddle, they receive a National Fire Academy certificate just as if they completed the courses at the National Fire Academy.
As members of the ERAU network, students get the chance to collaborate with colleagues, leadership, and other professionals in their own organization’s communities while completing coursework.
Students can also take advantage of ERAU’s partnerships with the Dallas/Fort Worth Fire Training Research Center (DFW FTRC) and the Aircraft Fire Fighting (ARFF) Working Group to develop and carry out research projects.
Concepts covered include human behavior, structures and systems, prevention, protection, investigation and analysis, organization and management, research, administration, hazardous materials, personnel management, political and legal foundations, terrorism, community risk reduction, disaster planning and control, system design for life safety, occupational safety, and human program management.
The Bachelor of Science in Emergency Services has both International Fire Service Accreditation Congress accreditation and FESHE Recognition. Learn more about Embry-Riddle’s accreditation.
Students can strengthen their emergency management knowledge base by adding several minor courses of study based on the student’s specific area of interest.
DEGREE DETAILS
About Emergency Services at the Worldwide & Online Campus
The Bachelor of Science in Emergency Services degree broadly encompasses all emergency service response disciplines in public and private sectors including: fire, emergency medical, investigation, engineering, aircraft rescue and firefighting, environmental, hazmat, inspection, dispatch, security, OSHA, instruction, public information and wildland firefighting.
The curriculum design for this degree is based on in the National Fire Academy’s Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) Model Curriculum for a Bachelor’s Degree. Beyond the six FESHE core courses, several additional ERAU-developed courses have been approved for students to receive NFA certificates — this is a unique advantage of taking classes at ERAU.
There are two specializations offered at the baccalaureate level:
- Aviation Emergency Management Specialization has a focus on aircraft accident investigation, airport emergency management, aviation safety, and leadership in emergency response organizations.
- Fire and Emergency Services Specialization focuses on emergency response administration, management, leadership, community risk reduction, and operational issues in emergency services.
The Bachelor of Science in Emergency Services is 100 percent online — a perfect option for anyone juggling the demands of working full-time, shift work, and/or family life. With this flexible learning environment, ERAU encourages students to continue working throughout their studies.
This degree program participates in the Air University-Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative (AU-ABC Category I). All students who have completed a Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) associates degree in Fire Science and Emergency Management are eligible. CCAF graduates can complete a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies by taking no more than 60 semester hours beyond their CCAF degree.
For students who choose to pursue their master’s degree, a 4+1 degree option is available.
The B.S. in Emergency Services (BSES) degree program provides students with the theoretical foundations for leadership and administration in fire and emergency services response organizations.
The curriculum includes the principles, theory, and practices associated with today’s emergency response professionals. The program is regionally academically SACS accredited and FESHE recognized.
The BSES degree broadly encompasses all emergency services response disciplines in public and private sectors including: fire, emergency medical, investigation, engineering, aircraft rescue and firefighting, environmental, hazmat, inspection, dispatch, security, OSHA, instruction, public information, wildland firefighting, etc. Concepts covered include human behavior, structures and systems, prevention, protection, investigation and analysis, organization and management, research, administration, hazardous materials, personnel management, political and legal foundations, terrorism, community risk reduction, disaster planning and control, system design for life safety, occupational safety, and human program management.
The curriculum design for this degree is based on in the National Fire Academy's Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) Model Curriculum for a Bachelor’s Degree. When students complete courses through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, they receive a National Fire Academy certificate just as if they completed the courses at the National Fire Academy. Beyond the six FESHE core courses, several additional ERAU-developed courses have been approved for students to receive NFA certificates—this is a unique advantage of taking classes at ERAU.
The Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Services is one of only a handful of programs around the world to have regional accreditation by Southern Association Colleges and Schools (SACS), International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) accreditation and FESHE recognition which all lead to demonstrate our programs excellence and student dedication.
There are two specializations currently offered at the baccalaureate level: Aviation Emergency Management, and Fire and Emergency Services.
- The Aviation Emergency Management Specialization has a focus on aircraft accident crash investigation, airport emergency management, aviation safety, and leadership in emergency response organizations.
- The Fire and Emergency Services Specialization focuses on emergency response administration, management, leadership, community risk reduction, and operational issues in emergency services.
This degree program participates in the Air University-Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative (AU-ABC Category I). All students who have completed a Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) associates degree in Fire Science and Emergency Management are eligible. CCAF graduates can complete a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Services by taking no more than 60 semester hours beyond their CCAF degree.
B.S. in Emergency Services students who wish to continue on to a master's degree may enroll in the BSES to MSES 4+1 program as outlined in this program.
| General Education | ||
| Embry-Riddle courses in the general education categories of Communication Theory and Skills, and Humanities and Social Sciences may be chosen from those listed below, assuming prerequisites are met. Courses from other institutions are acceptable if they fall into these broad categories and are at the level specified. | ||
| Communication Theory and Skills | ||
| ENGL 123 | English Composition | 3 |
| Speech/English | 6 | |
| Humanities* | ||
| HUMN 330 | Values and Ethics | 3 |
| Humanities elective | 3 | |
| Social Sciences | ||
| ECON 210 | Microeconomics | 3 |
| or ECON 211 | Macroeconomics | |
| Social Science elective (History/Government/Social Science/Psychology/Economics) | 3 | |
| Physical and Life Science Lower-Level electives | ||
| Physics/Biology/Meteorology/Chemistry | 6 | |
| Mathematics | ||
| MATH 111 & MATH 112 | Pre-calculus for Aviation and Applied Calculus for Aviation | 6 |
| or MATH 140 & MATH 142 | College Algebra and Trigonometry | |
| Computer Science | ||
| Take one of the following courses to satisfy Computer Science requirements. The course used to satisfy the General Education Computer Science requirement cannot also be used to satisfy a Core/Major or Minor requirement. | 3 | |
CSCI 109 | Introduction to Computers and Applications | |
CSCI 123 | Introduction to Computing for Data Analysis | |
CYBR 235 | Computer and Network Technologies | |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
| Program Support | 9 | |
| STAT 211 | Statistics with Aviation Applications | 3 |
| or STAT 222 | Business Statistics | |
| WEAX 201 | Meteorology I | 3 |
| RSCH 202 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3 |
| Program Specialization | 39 | |
| Choose one Specialization | ||
Electives
| Open Electives** | 27 | |
| ** | Students are allowed to utilize their elective credits to select any Minor offered in the catalog. |
| Specified Electives | 9 | |
| Choose 9 credits from ASCI/ SFTY/FIRE/ESVS Courses | ||
| Total Degree Requirements | 120 | |
| * | Minnesota student residents refer to State of Minnesota Course Requirement statement for Humanities requirements. |
Program Specializations:
Aviation Emergency Management Specialization
| ESVS 301 | Community Risk Reduction for the Fire and Emergency Services | 3 |
| ESVS 302 | Fire Dynamics | 3 |
| ESVS 303 | Fire Protection Structures and Systems | 3 |
| ESVS 305 | Fire Prevention Organization and Management | 3 |
| ESVS 400 | Analytical Approaches to Public Fire Protection | 3 |
| ESVS 401 | Applications of Fire Research | 3 |
| ESVS 403 | Disaster Planning and Control | 3 |
| ESVS 404 | Managerial Issues in Hazardous Materials | 3 |
| ESVS 405 | Personnel Management for Fire and Emergency Services | 3 |
| ESVS 480 | Advanced Principles in Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival | 3 |
| SFTY 330 | Aircraft Accident Investigation | 3 |
| SFTY 350 | Aircraft Crash and Emergency Management | 3 |
| SFTY 409 | Aviation Safety | 3 |
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Fire and Emergency Services Specialization
| ESVS 201 | Fire-Related Human Behavior | 3 |
| ESVS 301 | Community Risk Reduction for the Fire and Emergency Services | 3 |
| ESVS 303 | Fire Protection Structures and Systems | 3 |
| ESVS 304 | Fire Investigation and Analysis | 3 |
| ESVS 305 | Fire Prevention Organization and Management | 3 |
| ESVS 400 | Analytical Approaches to Public Fire Protection | 3 |
| ESVS 401 | Applications of Fire Research | 3 |
| ESVS 402 | Fire and Emergency Services Administration | 3 |
| ESVS 403 | Disaster Planning and Control | 3 |
| ESVS 404 | Managerial Issues in Hazardous Materials | 3 |
| ESVS 405 | Personnel Management for Fire and Emergency Services | 3 |
| ESVS 406 | Political and Legal Foundations of Fire Protection | 3 |
| ESVS 480 | Advanced Principles in Fire and Emergency Services Safety and Survival | 3 |
| Total Credits | 39 | |
BSES to MSES 4+1 Program, A Unique Opportunity
The BSES to MSES 4+1 program is for exceptional students who are committed to continuing their education through the master's degree. This fast-paced program an accelerated BSES leading to an M.S. in Emergency Services (MSES) degree program in five academic years. The 4+1 option allows qualifying students to substitute three MSES graduate courses covering similar concepts and principles for three required courses:
Students who are accepted into the 4+1 program, spend three academic years in undergraduate-level study. At the beginning of their senior year (having earned at least 88 credit hours with a 3.00 CGPA), may take up to three graduate-level courses that will meet undergraduate and graduate program requirements (when a B grade or better is achieved). Students must complete a minimum of 120 undergraduate/graduate course credits for their Bachelor of Science degree.
Upon completion of the BSES requirements, students will be enrolled in graduate school and can complete their MSES degree in one year. In any graduate course taken by an undergraduate student, a grade of B or better must be earned. If a grade of C or F is earned in any of the MSES graduate courses taken for BSES credit, the student will be removed from the 4+1 program, have credit awarded to the BSES degree only, and may continue to complete the BSES degree.
Students initiate program acceptance through their Academic Advisor or Campus Advisor; to help ensure program criteria are met. Student Advisor will complete the request for processing into the 4+1 program.
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Degree Summary
120 Credits
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