ATU Program Named Most Affordable in U.S.

College Choice has ranked the Arkansas Tech University Master of Science degree in emergency management and homeland security as the most affordable online master’s degree of its kind in the United States.

By employing a methodology that evaluates programs on quality, reputation, affordability, value and satisfaction, College Choice critiqued programs in the related fields of homeland security, cybersecurity, emergency management and public safety to determine which one provided its graduates with the most return on their educational dollar.

ATU earned the top spot based upon its low average net price as compared to other institutions and the fact that the emergency management and homeland security master’s degree at Arkansas Tech was the first in the world to be accredited by The Council for Accreditation of Emergency Management Education.

“This recognition from an independent party is a reflection of the quality of the faculty and curriculum in the Department of Emergency Management,” said Dr. Sandy Smith, head of the ATU Department of Emergency Management and professor of emergency management. “We are pleased to be able to provide current and prospective emergency management professionals with an affordable and accessible pathway to an advanced credential from Arkansas Tech, which has been a leader in emergency management education for more than two decades.”

ATU was among the first three institutions of higher learning in the U.S. to offer baccalaureate degrees in emergency management. Coursework toward the Bachelor of Science degree in emergency administration and management was first offered in 1997. ATU added its Master of Science degree in emergency management and homeland security almost a decade later.

James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 1993-2001, was instrumental in the creation of the ATU undergraduate degree and was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from ATU in 2006.

Visit www.atu.edu/emergencymanagement to learn more.