Best Emergency Management Schools Near Kansas City, MO (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Kansas City, Missouri has 5 accredited schools offering emergency management programs, with tuition ranging from $10,050 to $22,947 per year for indexed programs. Kansas City has a population of about 508,233. Median household income is $67,449 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning emergency management-related role is Emergency Management Director at a median $93,260 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Emergency Management Schools to Kansas City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer emergency management programs near Kansas City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Kansas City 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 Kansas City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Park University

Parkville, MO 8.1 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
41.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,309
Avg net price $21,032/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, MO 50.6 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
54.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 64%
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,560
Avg net price $14,462/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,050
Out‑of‑state$18,600
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Northwest Missouri State University

Maryville, MO 86.6 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,885
Avg net price $16,244/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Columbia College

Columbia, MO 120.1 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,378
Avg net price $22,715/yr
Tuition
In‑state$25,826
Out‑of‑state$25,826
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Missouri Southern State University

Joplin, MO 140.3 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
42.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,620
Avg net price $12,007/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies

Springfield, MO 148.5 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,694
Avg net price $10,566/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 47%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Ozarks Technical Community College

Springfield, MO 148.9 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,455
Avg net price $6,936/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Missouri State University-Springfield

Springfield, MO 149.9 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,827
Avg net price $17,613/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 200

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Emergency Management Wages Near Kansas City

Kansas City is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Emergency Management Director$93,260Kansas City, MO-KS$100,822
Firefighter$60,770Kansas City, MO-KS$65,697
Emergency Medical Technician$42,670Kansas City, MO-KS$46,130
First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$90,640Kansas City, MO-KS$97,989

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.

Kansas City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population508,233Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$67,449Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+37.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)92.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Kansas City-Area Cities With Emergency Management Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited emergency management schools are near Kansas City, MO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering emergency management programs near Kansas City. The closest is Park University in Parkville, MO (8.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Northwest Missouri State University (86.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying emergency management roles near Kansas City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying emergency management-related roles near Kansas City are: Emergency Management Director ($93,260), First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($90,640), Firefighter ($60,770). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Gladstone instead of Kansas City?

Gladstone, MO is 6.2 miles from Kansas City 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 Kansas City an affordable place to study emergency management?

Kansas City’s median household income of $67,449 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kansas City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri 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 Kansas City

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

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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