Best Emergency Management Schools Near Pasadena, CA (2026)

Pasadena, California has 8 accredited schools offering emergency management programs, with tuition ranging from $1,150 to $12,498 per year for indexed programs. Pasadena has a population of about 136,462. Median household income is $103,778 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 56.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning emergency management-related role is First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers at a median $169,350 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Emergency Management Schools to Pasadena

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer emergency management programs near Pasadena, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Pasadena city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Pasadena. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

East Los Angeles College

Monterey Park, CA 8.2 miles from Pasadena BOC Score 41.4
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,006
Avg net price $10,852/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 12.4 miles from Pasadena BOC Score 80.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,498
Avg net price $32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Citrus College

Glendora, CA 14.6 miles from Pasadena BOC Score 58.5
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,065
Avg net price $4,135/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Cypress College

Cypress, CA 23.8 miles from Pasadena BOC Score 49.5
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,533
Avg net price $4,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Chaffey College

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 32.4 miles from Pasadena BOC Score 60.5
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,975
Avg net price $5,672/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Coastline Community College

Fountain Valley, CA 32.9 miles from Pasadena BOC Score 34.4
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 16%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,483
Avg net price $16,341/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Moreno Valley College

Moreno Valley, CA 56.9 miles from Pasadena BOC Score 50.7
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,133
Avg net price $6,483/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Palomar College

San Marcos, CA 88.8 miles from Pasadena BOC Score 55.8
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,300
Avg net price $5,763/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 88

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California emergency management page.


Emergency Management Wages Near Pasadena

Pasadena is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Emergency Management Director$130,020Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$114,454
Firefighter$98,050Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$86,312
Emergency Medical Technician$45,090Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$39,692
First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$169,350Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$149,076

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Pasadena at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population136,462Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$103,778Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+56.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Pasadena-Area Cities With Emergency Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited emergency management schools are near Pasadena, CA?

Our directory has 8 accredited schools offering emergency management programs near Pasadena. The closest is Abraham Lincoln University in Glendale, CA (6.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Palomar College (88.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying emergency management roles near Pasadena?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying emergency management-related roles near Pasadena are: First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($169,350), Emergency Management Director ($130,020), Firefighter ($98,050). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in South Pasadena instead of Pasadena?

South Pasadena, CA is 3.6 miles from Pasadena and has its own set of local emergency management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Pasadena an affordable place to study emergency management?

Pasadena’s median household income of $103,778 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Pasadena while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Emergency Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Pasadena

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Pasadena:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.