Emergency Management Programs

Credentials in a field with no license

Emergency Management Certifications

Emergency management is one of the few serious professions with no license. No state exam stands between you and the work and no board can strike you off, which is exactly why emergency management certifications carry the weight they do: in a field with no statutory gate, they are the only common standard employers have. The useful question is not which one is best. It is which one you can qualify for now, because most of them are closed to you until you have the years.

Emergency personnel gathered outdoors for a training briefing, the documented exercise participation these credentials ask for

The Four Emergency Management Credentials, In The Order A Career Meets Them

This ordering is not a ranking of quality. It is the sequence in which the requirements become satisfiable, which is the thing that actually governs what you can do this year.

Emergency management certifications by the career stage at which each becomes realistic
CredentialIssued byWhen it becomes realisticWhat gates it
PDS FEMA Emergency Management Institute While studying No experience, no degree, no fee
APS FEMA Emergency Management Institute Once you hold a post Classroom courses your state agency schedules
CEM International Association of Emergency Managers Several years in, public sector 3 years of experience, or 2 with the degree
CBCP DRI International Two years in, private sector 2 years of experience plus 5 subject area essays

Two of those come from FEMA and cover training rather than professional standing. The other two are the credentials employers filter on, and they belong to different halves of the field: IAEM's for public-sector emergency management, DRI's for corporate business continuity. Nobody needs both.

FEMA Emergency Management Institute

PDS, FEMA Professional Development Series

Seven independent study courses totalling 31 hours, free to anyone, with no experience or degree required. The one credential in this field a student can finish before graduating.

FEMA Emergency Management Institute

APS, FEMA Advanced Professional Series

Ten classroom courses, five required and five chosen from fifteen electives, delivered through your state emergency management agency rather than online. The step after the PDS.

International Association of Emergency Managers

CEM, Certified Emergency Manager

The senior credential in a field with no license. Needs three years of full-time emergency management experience, 200 hours of training and six categories of professional contribution on top of an exam.

DRI International

CBCP, Certified Business Continuity Professional

The private-sector counterpart to the CEM. Two years of experience across five of the ten Professional Practices, a qualifying exam at 75%, and an annual fee that continues for as long as you hold it.

If You Are Still Studying, Start With The Free FEMA Series

The Professional Development Series is seven FEMA independent study courses, 31 hours in total, open to anyone and free of charge. It is the only credential on this page that does not ask for work experience, which makes it the only one a student can finish. Some degrees already fold it in: Embry-Riddle's Worldwide homeland security degree includes the certificate as part of the degree itself.

After that the ladder needs a job under you. The Advanced Professional Series is classroom teaching your state emergency management agency schedules for people already working, and the Certified Emergency Manager wants years of documented experience plus six categories of contribution to the profession. The Certified Business Continuity Professional is the corporate equivalent, and it has an associate tier that a graduate can sit for.

Where An Emergency Management Degree Fits

A degree does not confer any of these, but it shortens one of them: IAEM cuts the CEM's experience requirement from three years to two for holders of a bachelor's in emergency management, which is a full year of a career. It also determines how much operational exposure and free training you accumulate on the way through, and programs differ sharply on that. Across the 87 ranked bachelor's programs on this site, some build FEMA certifications into coursework and some do not mention them. Compare the programs, or read the job these credentials are for, an occupation of 13,500 people paying a median of $93,330.

Common Questions About Emergency Management Certifications

Do you need a certification to work in emergency management?
No. Emergency management has no license anywhere in the United States and no mandatory credential, which makes it unusual among serious professions. Nothing legally stops you doing the work without one. Certifications matter because employers reach for them as a filter in a field that has no other standard way to verify competence.
Which emergency management certification should you start with?
The Professional Development Series, because it is the only one you can complete before your career starts. Seven FEMA independent study courses, no experience required, no fee. Every other credential on this page asks for documented work behind it, so there is nothing to gain by waiting and nothing to lose by starting now.
Is the CEM or the CBCP better?
Neither, and the question is really about which employer you want. The Certified Emergency Manager is what county and state offices, FEMA and public health preparedness recognize. The Certified Business Continuity Professional is what banks, hospital systems, utilities and logistics companies write into postings. Pick by sector, then satisfy that credential rather than splitting your effort.
Can a degree shorten the path to certification?
For the CEM, directly: a bachelor's degree in emergency management cuts IAEM's experience requirement from three years to two. Beyond that, the degree matters because it is where you get the operational exposure and the training hours that every credential eventually asks you to document. The 87 ranked programs on this site vary widely in what they build in.
How much do emergency management certifications cost?
The range is wider than people expect. 1 of the 4 credentials here cost nothing at all, because FEMA's independent study program is free to the public. At the other end DRI charges an application fee and then an annual renewal for as long as you hold the credential, which makes it a recurring cost rather than a one-off. IAEM publishes an application fee of $439 for members.

Sources On Emergency Management Certifications