Emergency management grad program is No. 2 in national online program rankings by OMD

FIU’s Academy for International Disaster Preparedness (AIDP) has been recognized as one of the best in the nation for online learning at the master’s level by OnlineMastersDegrees.org (OMD). AIDP’s emergency management online graduate program ranked No. 2 among 12 online programs across the country for overall quality, affordability and commitment to student success.

“We are pleased to hear that our online program has received this recognition,” said Javier I. Marques, executive director of AIDP, vice president for Operations and Safety and chief of staff at the Office of the President. “We strive every day to provide real-life and academic experiences to our students so they can effectively prepare for a future in disaster management.”

AIDP’s online graduate program features coursework in emergency management and international humanitarian assistance. The 11-month program allows students to balance work and life by providing an online platform that takes them beyond the classroom and into real-world experiences. Instead of completing a thesis, for example, students participate in a multi-day disaster field operations exercise in which they respond to a simulated international disaster.

“If a disaster occurs, I want them to be ready to hop on a plane and respond because they have the knowledge and skill to do so,” said Dulce Suarez, assistant director at AIDP and one of the lead organizers of the field course.

OMD analyzed programs by using data pulled from the schools themselves and from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

“This year, we focused on the schools making it easier for students to compete in today’s increasingly difficult job market,” said Kyle Darland, co-founder of OMD. “Each ranked school offers fully or partially online master’s program in emergency management at a time when earning a master’s has become a minimum barrier to entry for many."