11 Easiest FEMA Courses to Get College Credits

If you are a student who wants to finish college as soon as possible, continue with reading because you will find the easiest FEMA courses to get college credits!

For those of you who don’t know, we feel obliged to first introduce you to FEMA and afterward with its courses and other possibilities they offer. FEMA is short for Federal Emergency Management Agency, an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, created by Presidential Reorganization Plan in 1978. Its primary purpose is to “coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities”. In order to widen their perspective and gain as much support as they can, the agency offers a lot of possibilities for training, through programs at the state level, in cooperation with colleges and online as well. One of the institutions for that is Emergency Management Institute (EMI).

EMI offers credentials and training opportunities just for the US citizens, in order to support the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA’s goals. In addition, students don’t have to be employed by FEMA nor to be federal employees for some of the programs. So how, how does it function? Easy! First, you should search for the subject you are interested in on the list of EMI’s Independent Study Courses. Then you should check if your college will approve it, and finally, you just apply for it. In any case, you should contact somebody from your college just to make sure that the program you chose is fine with them. Courses are eligible for a lower-division academic credit, and you cannot earn more than 1 credit per course. However, in some cases, you need to finish more than one course to gain just 1 credit. Of course, you pay for the credits in the end and the prices differ depending on the courses. If you are not the happiest person when you have to pay for your education, then you should read about 10 Easiest College Majors That Will Earn Your Money Back to find out some useful information.

This type of online education is getting popular more and more. Only EMI trains more than 2 million students annually! Besides it, there are also Coursera that offers online courses that once you finish you can get a certificate, Udemy and many more. If you are interested in many topics, you don’t have to enroll to another college, but you can just stay at home and learn about different things on your own, in your own comfort zone. Is there anything better?

To create the list of the easiest FEMA courses to get college credits was not an easy task, because defining easy is hard (pardon the pun);  what is easy for one student, could be unimaginably hard for another one. So, we tried to think of something more objective. We realized, if for one course you don’t need a lot of time, then probably it is easier to finish it and in addition gain credits for it. Moreover, if you are a student who wants to graduate fast, then you need the courses that will not last long. What we also took into account for each course on the list is whether they require some prerequisites or not. This is what we did: out of the list of all FEMA courses, we first singled out the ones with the lowest number of hours. Then we checked each of them if they require prerequisites or any additional things. Finally, we ranked them according to the number of hours they acquire with number one being the course with the least number of hours. For reference sake each course on the list is worth one college credit. Let’s begin!

11. Geospatial Information Systems Specialist 

Course hours: 2

This course is primarily intended for the Geospatial Information System specialists employed with FEMA or any other emergency response organization. Students should also have a basic geospatial knowledge and skills of standard GIS software applications. What’s more, after passing the exam, students will be able to use their GIS skills in order to support members of a Joint Field Office (JFO), other disaster responses and recovery teams. Procedures of doing it and techniques are also included in the teaching part. The course lasts for 2 hours and has an open possibility to gain 1 college credit. Prerequisites for this course you can find here.

10. Decision Making and Problem Solving 

Course hours: 2

We are continuing our list of easiest FEMA courses to get college credits, so if you choose to be a manager or planner, Decision Making and Problem Solving Course is definitely something you should consider taking at FEMA. You can learn how to make decisions individually, in a group, when it is state of an emergency, and in many other situations of crisis. You also learn how those decisions could affect later events. There are no prerequisites for this course, which is why it is on our list, and it lasts only 2 hours. After passing the exam, you can gain 1 college credit.

9. Including People With Disabilities & Others With Access & Functional Needs in Disaster Operations

Course hours: 2

This course is primarily intended for personnel at the Joint Field Office (JFO) who are involved in disaster operations. It concentrates the most on the role of disabled people in these operations and how they can be a part of it. The course takes two hours with no need of additional prerequisites. After passing the exam you can easily gain 1 college credit for it!

8. National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) Overview 

Course hours: 2

Next on the list of easiest FEMA courses to get college credits we have this course that introduces students to key concepts, principles and responsibilities of NDRF. The primary audience is almost everybody in the community – individuals, local, State, tribal, territorial, insular area governments and non-governmental organizations  – everyone who provides recovery support. Within just two hours you can easily gain 1 college credit!

7. External Affairs Program Liaison 

Course hours: 1.75

One of the easiest FEMA courses to get college credits is External Affairs Program Liaison with just hour and 75 minutes of length. If you choose it, you will be introduced to the basics of informing the public about the disasters at the moment of happening, and in the period after. Moreover, you will learn how the Program Liaison gathers and shares information in order to support disaster recovery. You can be engaged in this course even if you don’t have any experience in EA Program Liaison. There are no obligatory prerequisites, however some courses are recommended to take either before or after this one. You can check them here.

6. Introduction to Hazard Mitigation

Course hours: 1.5

This course offers an introduction to the beginners in dealing with hazard mitigation. After passing the exam, all students will know how to reduce or eliminate long-term risks from hazards. It lasts an hour and a half, and moreover there are no prerequisites required. Easy, interesting and moreover it is possible to gain 1 college credit with it!

5. Engineering Principles and Practices for Retrofitting Flood-Prone Residential Structures, FEMA Publication 259, 3rd Edition 

Course hours: 1.5

This course among the other easiest FEMA courses to get college credits, is an overview of engineering principles and practices for retrofitting flood-prone residential structures. The main goal is for engineers, architects, floodplain managers, and other building officials to gain the knowledge about this topic. In just an hour and a half, this course is offering that. There are no prerequisites, and one college credit is guaranteed.

4. NEMIS HMGP System: Enter the HMGP Application

Course hours: 1.5

If you choose this course, after finishing it, your understanding of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) system will certainly be better. It’s primarily intended for state, tribal and local HMGP applicants who have an access to the NEMIS HMPG system. The additional target audience is FEMA personnel who also have an access to the mentioned system. The course length is one hour and a half, no prerequisites are acquired and you can get, after you pass the exam, 1 college credit.

3. Protecting Critical Infrastructure Against Insider Threats

Course hours: 1

The primary audience for this course is personnel and service providers who deal with critical infrastructure. If you want to learn how insider threats can influence critical infrastructure and how to prevent them, this course is the right choice! In just an hour, with no prerequisites, you can get 1 college credit easily. It is however recommended to check out the course Workplace Security Awareness, just for better understanding, even though it is not obligatory. Wondering which are the top two easiest FEMA courses to get college credits on our list?

2. Critical Infrastructure Security: Theft and Diversion – What You Can Do

Course hours: 1

This interesting course offers you to learn how to identify thefts and diversions of important resources, raw materials, and products that can be used for criminal or terrorist activities. Even though there are no prerequisites, it is suggested to take the course Workplace Security Awareness as well, in order to understand the topic better.

1. Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance (ERHMS) System: Leadership Training

Course hours: 1

On the top of our list of the easiest FEMA courses to get college credits is Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance (ERHMS) course. It is primarily intended for “decision makers at the local, regional, State, tribal, and Federal levels who are responsible for decisions affecting the occupational safety and health of responders”. In only one hour you will be introduced to the course’s main concepts and in addition, you will be richer for one more college credit. And that’s not the best thing – there are also no prerequisites acquired!