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Disaster program manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a disaster program manager. Disaster program managers usually study business, homeland security, or criminal justice. 57% of disaster program managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 191 real disaster program manager resumes to see exactly what disaster program manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for disaster program managers are the American University and the American University.
There are also many online disaster program manager courses to help get the education required to be a disaster program manager.
What education do you need to become a disaster program manager?
What degree do you need to be a disaster program manager?
- Bachelor's, 57%
- Master's, 24%
- Associate, 14%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a disaster program manager?
- Business, 17%
- Homeland Security, 12%
- Criminal Justice, 10%
- Other Majors, 54%
Most common colleges for disaster program managers
| Disaster program manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| American University | 11.11% |
| Ohio State University | 8.33% |
| University of North Texas | 8.33% |
| Austin Peay State University | 5.56% |
| Central State University | 5.56% |
Best majors for disaster program managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 17.1% |
| 2 | Homeland Security | 12.4% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 10.5% |
| 4 | Public Administration | 6.7% |
| 5 | Computer Science | 6.7% |
Best colleges for disaster program managers
The best colleges for disaster program managers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A disaster program manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for disaster program managers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become disaster program managers.
1. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of North Texas
Denton, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,852
Enrollment
31,375
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
20 best online courses for disaster program managers
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3. A Brief Guide to Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
And a look at risks, threats, business impact analysis, and more...
4. SQL Server High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR)
Dive deep into how SQL Server works to implement an effective high availability and disaster recovery solution...
5. Natural Disaster and Climate Change Risk Assessment
This specialized program is aimed at officials, professionals, and team members involved in formulating, executing, or supervising infrastructure projects, who seek to incorporate disaster risk analysis and climate change adaptation into their projects.\n\nThrough 3 courses, students will be trained to identify key elements of natural disaster risk, recognize the importance of integrating risk analysis into the infrastructure project cycle, conduct qualitative and quantitative assessments to...
6. Networking and Security Architecture with VMware NSX
This 8 week online course equips learners with the basics of network virtualization with VMware NSX. To get the most of this course, you should have familiarity with generic IT concepts of routing, switching, firewalling, disaster recovery, business continuity, cloud and security. At the end of the course, you will be able to: • Understand network virtualization basics • Describe NSX business value and use cases • Explain how NSX is different from traditional networking • Summarize networking...
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8. Business Continuity Management & ISO 22301 - Complete Guide
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10. ISO 22301:2019. Business continuity management system
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11. Program Management Course - Program Manager Essentials
In this Program Management course you will learn the essentials and more to become an effective Program Manager...
12. Azure Site Recovery
Cloud based disaster recovery solution. Learn how to migrate Virtual Machines from on premises to Azure...
13. Veeam Backup & Replication Course Zero to Mastery
Take Backup & Restore from v Sphere & Hyper-V Replication & Disaster Recovery Secure Backup Data Upto V12...
14. Program Management Fundamentals: The Essentials
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15. ISO 22301-Business Continuity Management (BCM & BCP)
Everything you need to know about ISO 22301—Business Continuity Management (BCM) and Business Continuity Planning (BCP)...
16. Business Continuity Management BCMS & ISO 22301 Masterclass
How to plan and prepare for unforeseen business disruption events through an effective, dynamic Business Continuity Plan...
17. Program Management Interview Course
Learn how to interview for program manager roles at tech companies...
18. Security Management: Excellence in Private Protection
A complete Security Management knowledge suite of managing security operations, programs/services, budgets, & personnel...
19. Technical Program Management
This is a course designed for individuals looking to learn about the Technical Program Management (TPM) discipline...
20. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects
Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...
Top 10 most affordable universities for disaster program managers
The most affordable schools for disaster program managers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - fullerton.
If the best universities for disaster program managers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for disaster program managers.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for disaster program managers
The hardest universities for disaster program managers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for disaster program managers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for disaster program managers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for disaster program managers
The easiest schools for disaster program managers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a disaster program manager without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for disaster program managers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
7. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
Average disaster program manager salary by education level
| Disaster program manager education level | Disaster program manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $78,833 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $67,178 |
| Doctorate Degree | $84,175 |
Disaster program manager education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025