SNHU Spotlight: Jonathan Oubenslimane, BS in Business Administration Grad
Business | 10min Read
Minimize risk and safeguard the public with a Master of Science in Management (MSM) with a concentration in Emergency Management from Õ¬ÄÐÆµµÀ (SNHU). You'll learn how to prepare for and respond to critical threats in both life and business, such as organizational crises, natural disasters, hazardous spills and security threats using the guidelines of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Incident Management System (FIMS).
Skills you'll learn:
In this program, you'll have the benefit of exploring 2 different areas of management. Of your 12 required courses, 8 will focus on general management, with topics ranging from project management to organizational culture. The remaining 4 will hone in on emergency management specifically.
Don't have a business background? Before beginning this program, you may need to take OL-501 - Business Foundations. The course is designed to help you succeed in a business master's program, whether it's an MSM or an online MBA, and prepare you for the coursework ahead. Your admission counselor or academic advisor can advise whether you'll need to complete it.
Beyond crisis leadership and communication, your emergency management-specific classes will teach you how to safeguard an organization, government agency, community or nation from an unpredictable event. Your studies will focus on prevention, protection and mitigation of risk and threat due to public health incidents, natural disasters, security threats and more.
Component Type | PC (Windows OS) |
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Operating System | Currently supported operating system from Microsoft. |
Memory (RAM) | 8GB or higher |
Hard Drive | 100GB or higher |
Antivirus Software | Required for campus students. Strongly recommended for online students. |
SNHU Purchase Programs | |
Internet/ Bandwidth | 5 Mbps Download, 1 Mbps Upload and less than 100ms Latency |
Component Type | Apple (Mac OS) |
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Operating System | Currently supported operating system from Apple. |
Memory (RAM) | 8GB or higher |
Hard Drive | 100GB or higher |
Antivirus Software | Required for campus students. Strongly recommended for online students. |
SNHU Purchase Programs | |
Internet/ Bandwidth | 5 Mbps Download, 1 Mbps Upload and less than 100ms Latency |
Additional Information:
SNHU has provided additional information for programs that educationally prepare students for professional licensure or certification. Learn more about what that means for your program on our licensure and certification disclosure page.
Our no-commitment application can help you decide if SNHU is the right college for you and your career goals. Apply up until 2 days before the term starts!
Upcoming term starts: Aug. 25, 2025 | Nov. 10, 2025
Attending college online at SNHU can be a life-changing experience. In fact, 93.2% of online students would recommend SNHU according to a 2023 survey with 21,000+ respondents.
You’ll take your courses within SNHU’s Brightspace platform. This is where you’ll find your:
Dr. Michelle Caron
Dr. Michelle Caron has 20 years of experience in developing, training and teaching multiple successful business, education and STEM programs for academic institutions , government agencies and the private sector. Dr. Caron began her work with SNHU as an adjunct faculty member in 2005 prior to joining the SNHU administration in a dean capacity in 2014. As an experienced international visiting professor and speaker, higher education consultant, author and reviewer, she has presented for the DOE, ACBSP, NHBEA, NEA and various universities.
Dr. Caron earned her PhD in International Business with a minor in Strategy and an M.S. in Business Education from SNHU. Michelle is also a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) from the International Coach Federation and is a member of the Academy of International Business and New Hampshire Women in Higher Education Leadership. Her current research interests are university-industry collaboration, technology and innovation in business education and service-learning projects for nonprofits to build community resilience.
Position
Associate Dean
Joined SNHU
2005
Education
At Õ¬ÄÐÆµµÀ, you'll have access to a powerful network of more than 400,000 students, alumni and staff that can help support you long after graduation. Our instructors offer relevant, real-world expertise to help you understand and navigate the field. Plus, with our growing, nationwide alumni network, you'll have the potential to tap into a number of internship and career opportunities.
Recently, SNHU has been nationally recognized for leading the way toward more innovative, affordable and achievable education:
Founded in 1932, Õ¬ÄÐÆµµÀ is a private, nonprofit institution with over 180,000 graduates across the country. SNHU is accredited by the regional accreditor New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), which advocates for institutional improvement and public assurance of quality.
No application fee. No test scores. And no college essay. Just a simple form with basic information. It’s another way SNHU helps you reach your goals sooner.
It's easy, fast and free.
Whether you're applying for an undergraduate or graduate degree, you’ll fill out a form to verify your previous education experience. As part of our admissions process, we'll help you request transcripts from your previous school(s) to see if you can transfer any credits into your SNHU program! (Also for free!)
After reviewing your official evaluation, you can decide if SNHU is right for you! If you choose to enroll, just pick your start date and get ready for classes to begin.
Talk to an admission counselor: 888.327.SNHU | enroll@snhu.edu
SNHU is accredited by the regional accreditor the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The university also carries specialized accreditations for some programs.
As a nonprofit university, SNHU offers some of the lowest online tuition rates in the country. And when you work with our Financial Services team, we'll explore ways to help you save even more on your education – and customize a payment plan that works for you.
*before previously earned credits are applied
Tuition rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually.
**Note: Students receiving this rate are not eligible for additional discounts.
Additional costs: Course materials vary by course.
If 3 of your prior learning credits ($637/credit) are accepted toward your master’s degree.
Your remaining tuition cost: $17,199
If 6 of your prior learning credits ($637/credit) are accepted toward your master’s degree.
Your remaining tuition cost: $15,288
If 9 of your prior learning credits ($637/credit) are accepted toward your master’s degree.
Your remaining tuition cost: $13,377
If 12 of your prior learning credits ($637/credit) are accepted toward your master’s degree.
Your remaining tuition cost: $11,466
How we estimate your tuition cost:
We look at the cost per credit multiplied by the number of credits you need to earn for a master's degree. Most master's degrees require 36 credits. SNHU allows you to transfer in up to 12 credits, requiring a minimum of 24 credits to be taken at SNHU. This is only a tuition estimator and doesn't account for other fees that may be associated with your program of choice.
Transfer credits toward your master's degree program at SNHU. If you’ve taken one course or many, we’ll evaluate them for you.
Fill out the FAFSA to see if you’re eligible for grants or work-study. (You could also be offered loans, though you’ll have to pay those back later.)
Earn credits in leadership, technology and more – while taking advantage of an online graduate tuition discount for active-duty service members and spouses.
Getting free money for college – from SNHU or an outside organization – could help you save hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Bring in credits from popular options like CLEP, Sophia Learning, Google and other common credit for prior learning (CPL) experiences.
Learn how you can save money with tuition reimbursement from your employer.
Receive an online tuition discount if your organization has partnered with SNHU for educational benefits. See if your organization partners with us.
With this degree, you can help avoid the threat of disasters and assist others after a disaster has struck. You may find potential employment opportunities in roles like emergency management director, crisis recovery manager, disaster management specialist, emergency preparedness coordinator, global response communicator and more.
Emergencies happen everywhere, so earning this degree can position you for employment in a variety of settings, including:
Often most necessary at the local and state level, you can bring together resources for disastrous events.
Help keep large populations safe through training and emergency planning.
From administrative roles to those on the ground, be prepared for instances in which resources could be stretched thin.
Emergencies can take place after takeoffs, before landings and everywhere in between.
Increase in roles – as fast as average – for emergency management directors through 2032, projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).1
Median annual pay for emergency management directors as of May 2023, according to the BLS.1
Understanding the numbers
When reviewing job growth and salary information, it’s important to remember that actual numbers can vary due to many different factors—like years of experience in the role, industry of employment, geographic location, worker skill and economic conditions. Cited projections are based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not on SNHU graduate outcomes, and do not guarantee actual salary or job growth.
I had amazing instructors at SNHU from the beginning. Each instructor brings a different level of experience and knowledge and can help each student in a different way.
Katrinia L. Lester '16
Yes! Like many other programs of interest, you can earn a master's in emergency management online.
With this focused degree, Õ¬ÄÐÆµµÀ (SNHU) will help you learn how to evaluate crisis, emergency and disaster management strategies to plan, prepare and respond to critical threats and events within multiple contexts.
At SNHU, you'll have instructors with deep professional knowledge of both management and emergency management. They can share their experiences with you each week as you progress through your courses.
Think you won't get the same hands-on experience as you would with a campus program? Think again. You'll use scenario-based approaches and case studies to analyze real-world critical incidents, so you’ll be ready to manage an emergency from its early stages to its final phase of recovery.
You'll also deepen your understanding in critical areas like effective business communication, data-driven decision making, developing and supporting talent, project management, supporting and fostering stewardship of an organization's culture and brand, leadership and strategic planning – skills any organization can appreciate.
With an emergency management degree, you can help your community (and beyond) avoid the threat of disasters, as well as assist those after a disaster has happened.
COVID-19. California wildfires. Hurricane Katrina, or even business emergencies, like allocating resources efficiently. Major threats have affected large and small populations around the country – and that's where emergency management teams step in.
This program offers the skills and knowledge needed to lead a team out of crisis with a plan for recovery. You'll learn the latest guidelines and strategies from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including how to assess risks, threats and vulnerabilities.
You can learn more about the type of career you want with your emergency management degree when thinking more about the area you'd like to focus on. FEMA has 5 frameworks – 1 for each mission area – that are part of its National Preparedness System:2
You may already be a first responder at the local, regional, national or global level and now feel ready to take your experience to the next level – or you may be new to the field. Fire and police departments, government agencies, hospitals, private firms and not-for-profit agencies all need trained professionals in emergency management. With your emergency management degree, there's a way for you to contribute and help others in their time of need.;
You can earn an emergency management degree the same as you would any other degree – by successfully completing all the required courses in the program you choose.
In Õ¬ÄÐÆµµÀ's online emergency management degree program, you'll complete your degree by taking 8 courses in management and 4 courses in emergency management.
By taking 8 general management courses, you can be prepared to take the general lead. Courses about communication, decision-making, human behavior and project management can give you skills that employers find useful, wherever you work.
Then, by taking 4 classes in emergency management, you can pair your management skills with strategies that can make you an effective leader in situations that are unpredictable or that affect an area immediately.
By merging those 2 areas into 1 degree, you can become a leader the community looks up to during disastrous times.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, emergency management directors made a median annual salary of $83,960 in 2023.1
However, the industry you work in can greatly affect your income.
In the top 5 industries for emergency management directors, 2023 median annual salaries were:1
The cost of emergency management degrees varies across universities.
At Õ¬ÄÐÆµµÀ (SNHU), the cost per graduate credit is $637. For our 36-credit online emergency management degree, the total tuition cost comes to $22,932.
And while that's already an extremely low total for a master's degree, SNHU works hard to make your degree even more affordable.
SNHU accepts up to 12 transfer credits you've earned from other accredited universities. If you're able to transfer all 12 credits into your program, the cost is reduced to $15,288.
We believe cost shouldn't hinder anyone from receiving the degree they want to earn. We understand how rising costs make it harder for some students to commit to a college program, and as a nonprofit university it's important to us to remove that barrier.
You'll also have the opportunity to work one-on-one with our Student Financial Services team to better understand financial aid (if you're eligible) and create a plan specific to your financial needs.
By taking advantage of all of our services when you enroll, you can position yourself for a better financial future.
The mission statement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is "helping people, before, during and after disasters."2 That sounds worth it to us!
If taking on some of the nation's most deadly events head on and serving the American people in their time of need sounds like a career you're ready to get behind, then earning a disaster management degree could put you on the right path.
Think Sept. 11 attacks, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, fires, floods, landslides, mudslides — from large national events to those that hit smaller communities, emergency management will always be a necessary field.
Additionally, a degree in emergency management could help you protect traditional businesses, especially when thinking about reallocating resources when disaster strikes.
Õ¬ÄÐÆµµÀ understands disaster relief isn't a 9-to-5 job – that you have commitments that might interfere with taking classes at a traditional brick-and-mortar institution.
That's why you get 24/7 access to our classroom. You can finish your coursework when you need to, whether that's 12 pm or 12 am.
By removing barriers and making your master's more accessible, you're in a better position to complete your master's in emergency management degree and reach your career goals.
1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, on the internet, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/emergency-management-directors.htm (viewed Apr. 29, 2024). Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.
2FEMA, on the internet, at: