Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Emergency Management Degree, Fall 2015, my AAR

[Life Long Learning]

Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Emergency Management Degree
After Action Report (AAR)
Non-traditional Adult Student, Fall 2015

•Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Emergency Management Degree, 2015
Clackamas Community College (CCC), Oregon City, Oregon

Definition of CLACKAMAS: Indian people of the Clackamas river valley of northwestern Oregon.
-----------Merriam Webster Dictionary

There is over 300+ Emergency Management (EM) and Homeland Security (HLS) degrees these days. There is no U.S. National standard. The real U.S. National emergency management doctrine and emergency management principles really comes from places like the National Emergency Training Center (NETC); Emergency Management Institute (EMI), National Fire Academy (NFA), and the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) etc., and not from colleges or universities.
https://training.fema.gov/hiedu/collegelist/
Emergency Management Degree Programs

I wanted a degree that uses current U.S. National doctrine (Emergency Management Framework, The National Incident Management System (NIMS), Incident Command System (ICS), etc., and not some academic interpretation. If I could use emergency management courses that I have completed from the Federal Government, State Emergency Management, and to a lesser extent the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC), as that would be huge. I looked into every Emergency Management (EM) and Homeland Security (HLS) degree that I could find online. I wish FEMA/EMI would start their own college like the USAF did in 1972 (CCAF), but that does not exist.

My personal conclusion was that the Clackamas Community College Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Emergency Management was the best fit for a first emergency management degree for an adult non-tradition working student. I had past experience, but this would update my emergency management and homeland security knowledge to current standards. It was also the least expensive and most practical for a full-time professional in an allied field. Emergency management is my collateral duty.

The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) developed the prototype curriculum for associate degrees, but these do not currently exist.
https://training.fema.gov/hiedu/highnews.aspx

I do have a bias towards emergency management and not towards homeland security degrees. I have other reasons for my preference for emergency management, but this online article has a few more.

Dueling Degrees: Emergency Management vs. Homeland Security
Dueling Degrees: Emergency Management vs. Homeland Security

Completing FEMA EMI Independent Study (IS) FREE courses and using them for Clackamas college credit at $40 per course (1-3 credits = same price) is a true bargain in the World of overpriced education. Most EM courses are 1 credit at CCC. FEMA courses meet CCC residency requirements at Clackamas and this is huge!

The Clackamas Emergency Management Associate of Applied Science Degree was approved by the Oregon Department of Education on 4/23/99. Partnerships have been formed with Oregon, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, and the United States Coast Guard.

Lifelong learning the second time around about 30-years later and starting with Clackamas has been great overall. I wish Clackamas was my local community college so I could take real brick & mortar (B&M) classes when I really retire if I ever do. The CCC (six course) Wilderness Survival Certificate just flat out looks cool. Some of my Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) professors I found to be academically fascinating. I would love to meet a few like Dr. Robert W. Keeler one day.

Having taken classes at other colleges the “myClackamas” student login website is the best (easy and simple to use) of the five colleges websites that I have experience in and access to.

When substitutions or waivers were asked for at Clackamas I did not receive everything I asked for (I am not shy), but I did receive many common sense substitutions. There is some intellectual flexibility in this degree in a few small items. The key is to communicate with the Clackamas folks below and have a fair and honest proposal.

My first waiver request was when FEMA discontinued two Independent Study (IS) courses and CCC still allowed me to submit 3 of the 4 required IS courses each for EM 201 and EM 204.
EM-201 (IS-704 was discontinued).
EM-204 (IS-552 was discontinued).

•EM-109 Public Information Officer (3-4 credits). I transferred in COMM-111 (Speech) from my younger days (1983) at first and it was accepted as transfer credit (*TE). This does not show up on my official CCC transcript nor is transferable. I then requested that a different resident EMI Public Information Officer (PIO) course as a substitute that I had completed. This was not required by CCC, but was granted by the OEM advisor. I was then able to pay officially CCC for EM-109, so I could add an additional EM course on my official CCC transcript. This was not needed, but I am happy that I did.

•EM-112 EM Skillbuilder (2 credits). This is a State EM Conference (3 or 4 days), but I was allowed (substitute) to attend The International Emergency Management Society - TIEMS 2015