2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The risks of emergencies, disasters, and crises are continuously increasing and making detrimental impacts on communities, especially engineering companies. Thus, engineers are expected to possess necessary skills and knowledge for emergency, disaster, and crisis management (EDCM). However, educational efforts for engineering students, many of whom become engineers, have been lacking in institutions of higher education. As an initial effort, the current study aims to identify importance of EDCM standards and guidelines education, current assets among engineering students, and recommended learning elements for future EDCM education. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 19 participants from three stakeholder groups: students, faculty members, and public safety professionals. The interviews and group discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed for a Thematic Analysis, using Atlas.ti, a qualitative data analysis software program. Findings indicate that all participants agreed with the importance of education on EDCM standards and guidelines among engineering students. In contrast, students received very basic safety training without having advanced understanding about EDCM standards and guidelines such as FEMA. Further, our study identified six learning elements recommended for future education and training: (i) basic drills, (ii) emergency actions, (iii) Incident Command System, (iv) engineering knowledge, (v) psychological aspect, and (vi) financial aspect. These findings will inform the design and provision of future courses and curricula to enhance EDCM skills and knowledge among engineering students.