West Texas A&M University’s online emergency management administration program is one of the best in the country.

That’s according to a recently released survey by Value College, which ranked WT’s program No. 5 in a list of the Best Value Online Emergency Management Programs for 2020, according to the website.

The website considered cost, reputation and success rate of graduates in ranking its Top 25 programs. Among the other ranked schools: the University of Florida, Drury University, the University of Central Missouri and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

“Emergency management is critical to the well-being of a modern society, and a definitive program like yours provides the mentorship, connections, and skills to help graduates make their mark,” said Rhonda Corey, Value Colleges media manager.

The emergency management program recently ranked No. 4 among College Choice’s Best Online Emergency Management Degrees.

The program, which primarily serves nontraditional students, prepares firefighters, emergency responders, military personnel, police officers, private-sector and other emergency-services professionals for advanced levels of administration and management within the emergency services professions.

“Our EMA program is 100 percent online so that we can give our fire and emergency management professionals who are working full time an opportunity to successfully attain their Emergency Management Administration degree,” said Greg Ingham, political science instructor.

This is only the most recent honor in a series of accolades. The University’s online program is ranked among the most affordable and best values in the state. WT’s online bachelor of nursing program was recently named one of the 10 best in the country. The University was ranked among the Top 10 safest campuses in the country and the safest in Texas, and the University Police Department was, for a second time, named a Recognized Law Enforcement Agency from the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation.

“We are immensely proud of our emergency management program,” said Dr. Lisa Garza, head of the political science and criminal justice department. “We are committed to offering a high-quality education for all students, on- and off-campus alike, but it’s especially important to offer this type of educational experience for our first responders so they can reach their goals while still working to protect our community.”

The accolade reflects WT’s belief that quality is the cornerstone to higher education, an important part of the University’s generational plan WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

-West Texas A&M University