Leading Edge Training for Emergency Preparedness
Learn the latest developments and best practices in the rapidly evolving field of emergency management.
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) with Emergency Planning Focus at Illinois Tech’s Stuart School of Business is a hands-on program that combines rigorous instruction with practice-based solutions to real-world problems and threats that require timely emergency planning, implementation, and coordination.
The program is designed for first responders and other public safety professionals looking to strengthen their emergency management credentials and advance in supervisory and administration positions in state and local governments, hospitals and health care providers, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that have responsibility to protect the public.
Specialized courses emphasize development of the managerial and leadership skills required to implement effective emergency planning and preparedness programs, including policy formulation, administrative processes and systems, acquisition and deployment of human and financial resources, and strategic planning.
Our faculty hold excellent academic credentials and are recognized experts in the field who bring years of firsthand experience in the public and nonprofit sectors to their classroom teaching. Students learn alongside and network with other committed professionals enrolled in the program who represent a broad range of backgrounds, positions, and organizations.
Courses meet on weekday evenings or Saturdays, depending on the course, at Illinois Tech’s Conviser Law Center, conveniently located one block from Union Station in downtown Chicago. With the M.P.A. program’s hybrid courses, you can choose to attend your class sessions in person or go online to attend virtually.
Contacts for More Information
- For more information about program courses and requirements, contact M.P.A. Program Director Roland Calia.
- For questions regarding admission to Illinois Tech’s Stuart School of Business and to learn about application fee waivers, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions: grad.admission@iit.edu
Applicants to the Master of Public Administration with Emergency Planning Focus program who are not City of Chicago public safety employees are eligible for the Stuart M.P.A. Scholarship, which is in academic year 2023–24 a 35 percent tuition scholarship.
City of Chicago public safety employees should consult the Financial Information for City of Chicago Employees section below.
Read more about Stuart scholarship opportunities and tuition and fees:
M.P.A. degree with Emergency Planning Focus—10 courses (30 credit hours)
- Part-time degree program
- Students take two courses per semester (fall, spring, summer) to complete the degree in two years.
Security, Safety, and Risk Management Certificate—4 courses (12 credit hours)
- Students who are not enrolled in the M.P.A. degree program can take the Security, Safety, and Risk Management Certificate program.
- Credit from courses taken in the certificate program may be transferred to the degree program.
Core courses for the M.P.A. degree with Emergency Planning Focus are listed below.
Emergency Planning Courses
- Principles of Emergency Management
- Emergency Management and Homeland Security
- Soft Targets and Critical Infrastructure
- Homeland Security and Defense
- Crisis Management and Emergency Planning
- Crisis Management, Critical Decision-making, and the Aftermath (or Bioterrorism)
Emergency Administration Courses
- Human Resource Management
- Public Financial Management
- Strategic Planning
- Decision-making in the Public Sector
- Information Technology (Cybersecurity)
Organizations that have hired Master of Public Administration graduates include:
- City of Chicago
- Chicago Police Department
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Chicago Fire Department
- Accenture
- American Cancer Society
- Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
- Lyons Township Mental Health District
- The application process must be completed online.
- Information about applying to the program can be found on the Graduate Admission page.
- Required application materials include official undergraduate college transcripts from an accredited university.
- GRE or GMAT test scores are not required.
- No thesis requirement
The City of Chicago currently provides a 75 percent tuition reimbursement for this degree program for Chicago police, fire, and EMS personnel (100 percent for sergeants).
- Illinois Tech will provide a scholarship equivalent to the remaining 25 percent of tuition, so you do not have to pay any out-of-pocket costs for tuition. You do have to pay for fees and books.
- Illinois Tech and the City of Chicago have a tuition deferment agreement that defers the part of the tuition payment reimbursed by the city until it provides Illinois Tech with the funds. Click here for information about tuition deferment.
Illinois Tech participates in the post-9/11 Yellow Ribbon GI Bill program for veterans. Click here for information about veterans benefits.
