Madison College is offering a new Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness Certificate this fall that instructs students in the knowledge and skillsets essential to a number of emergency responses. The program’s curriculum consists of five three-credit courses that cover four separate phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
Ed Dawson, the program’s instructor and director, spoke to the many career benefits the certificate provides to students.
“This program is designed to prepare students with the strategic managerial skills necessary to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from any potential man-made or natural disaster event,” Dawson said.
According to Madison College’s website, students will gain a familiarity with government agencies in addition to hands-on experience. Students will also develop “leadership, problem-solving, decision-making, organizational and management skills.”
The certificate, while open to all, is especially valuable to students already enrolled in program focusing in law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical response, homeland security and health care.
Dawson added that the program’s emphasis on administrative and managerial experience will further improve students’ future career prospects in law enforcement and public safety.
“Students [completing the program] will be knowledgeable and have an understanding of how individuals, private sector businesses, non-profit organizations and all levels of government should mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies,” Dawson said.
Madison College’s Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness certificate also features alternative eight-week courses, giving flexibility to busy part-time students and workforce members already in leadership positions.
For more information about the certificate’s curriculum and how to apply, go to madisoncollege.edu.
