CEM Corner: Education Requirements

By Daryl Lee Spiewak, CEM, TEM, CFM, CEM® Commissioner, Past ASPEP President, Emergency Action Coordinator, Brazos River Authority, Waco, Texas

This month's tips article deals with the education requirements section of your application packet. In this article, I will discuss some specific tips for completing this section.

Education Requirement. To satisfy this requirement, the candidate must have completed a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution. It doesn't matter what type of degree the candidate possesses or what major the candidate completed. The requirement is for an accredited baccalaureate degree.

Some candidates have completed more than one baccalaureate degree and/or an advanced degree. Use one baccalaureate degree to satisfy this requirement, and use the course work in the additional degrees to satisfy the training requirements section.

Emergency Management Degree. A candidate who was awarded an accredited baccalaureate degree in emergency management receives an additional benefit. Such a candidate may be able to document fewer than the normally-required 100 disaster/emergency management training hours. The number of hours required depends on the date the candidate actually earned the degree and the date the CEM® application packet was submitted. For example, if the application packet was submitted within three years of the degree being awarded, the candidate does not need to document any disaster/emergency management training hours. If the degree was awarded more than seven years ago, the candidate will need to document all 100 disaster/emergency management training hours. See the application packet for a chart to help you determine how many disaster/emergency management training hours must be documented.

In certain circumstances, a BA-level fire sciences degree may be used to satisfy some of the disaster/emergency management training requirements too. A candidate requesting training credit with a fire sciences degree must provide a description of the curriculum and a copy of the transcript to the Commission for evaluation. The Commission will consider, on a case-by-case basis, if the degree program was related to all four phases of emergency management or only to fire science. The Commissioners may consider other related programs as well for disaster/emergency management training credit.

Documentation. Attach a copy of an official transcript showing the candidate's name, major and the date the degree was awarded by the institution. Credit will not be awarded without the proper documentation.

Experience Substitution. Candidates may substitute two additional years of disaster/emergency management experience per 30 college credits up to the 120 credits comprising most baccalaureates. For example, a candidate has completed three years (90 college credit) towards a baccalaureate degree. Two additional years of experience may be substituted to complete this requirement.

It is possible for a candidate to obtain certification without a college degree. Such a candidate must complete and document a total of 11 years of disaster/emergency management experience (three years experience plus eight years experience substituted for the degree). This change in the education requirements was made to recognize the vast experience of many currently serving emergency managers who have been unable to attend college in the past but still possess the requisite qualities to become a CEM®.

Potential Problems. One problem the Commissioners encounter with the education requirement is that candidates without an emergency management degree attempt to double-dip. That is, they attempt to count baccalaureate degree courses as part of the disaster/emergency management or general management training hours requirement. This is not acceptable and may result in a delay in the Commission granting certification pending proper documentation of the required training hours.

Another problem that causes a delay in granting certification occurs when the name on the degree certificate and transcript do not match the name on the application. The most common reason for this is that the candidate has gotten married since earning the degree. Regardless of the reason, it is the candidate's responsibility to clearly explain and provide documentation that explains the discrepancy.

A third problem occurs with those candidates substituting experience for a college degree. Ensure that the proper amount of experience is documented for the substitution and that official transcripts are provided for the remaining college years (30 credit hours per academic year).

Final Tip. Proper documentation is the key for your entire application packet. It is your responsibility to document all claimed credits. You can provide explanatory notes and corroborating documentation for any discrepancies or potentially confusing areas in your application packet. They help the Commissioners to more fully understand your claims. Proper and complete documentation will speed up the review process and normally result in a positive recommendation for award of your CEM®.

June 2002, IAEM Bulletin