Online Enterprise Risk Management Graduate Certificate
The online Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management at Boston University is designed to provide business managers and public employees with the skills they need to formulate and execute the best possible response to a wide range of emergencies and disasters—from extreme weather to layoffs to a supply chain disruption.
Offered online, on campus, and in a blended format, the Enterprise Risk Management certificate provides students with expertise in the proactive aspects of planning and strategy, as well as the reactive aspects of crisis management and enterprise and organizational continuity. In addition to the technical and logistical issues facing emergency management professionals, the program focuses on understanding the psychological and social components—the human resources—of an organization. Topics covered by the Enterprise Risk Management graduate certificate program include:
- Preparedness planning
- Risk assessment and mitigation
- The interface between private and public response
- The human, technological, and logistical factors of crisis recovery
- The development of a system-wide continuity plan
Each course features a case-study simulation that requires students to apply the concepts from their coursework under emergency-like conditions.
Students who complete the Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management will be able to demonstrate:
- Proficiency in designing and evaluating exposures and available response options, as well as developing appropriate plans for enterprise risk management, business continuity planning, and disaster recovery frameworks and processes.
- Skills in the use of quantitative and qualitative data use to estimate company risk exposure.
- A broad understanding of the different aspects of business continuity as it impacts the continued operations of the firm, from supply-chain through higher-level strategy development involving industry sustainability.
Awards & Accreditations
Newsweek magazine ranked Boston University’s online programs #4 in the nation in its 2023 survey.
Why Choose BU’s Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management?
- Boston University certificate programs comprise just four courses (16 credits) and provide essential skills and capabilities in high-growth industry areas. Certificate programs also provide a pathway to Metropolitan College management degree programs.
- Learning from expert faculty from MET’s Department of Administrative Sciences, professionals in the public and private sectors will benefit from this opportunity to address both the human and operational factors of a workplace crisis while gaining knowledge that prepares them for courseware offered by DRI International, leading to possible certification in business continuity management.
- Online certificate programs share courses and instructors with MET’s master’s degree programs in management, ranked #10 among the nation’s Best Online Master's in Business Programs (Excluding MBA) by U.S. News & World Report in 2025.
Watch the Data Analytics Symposium co-sponsored by Boston University’s Metropolitan College and IBM. The event was designed to bring together industry experts to discuss big data in health care, finance, and applied social sciences.
Career Outlook
Management Analysts
14% increase in jobs through 2026
$82,450 median annual pay in 2017
Operations Research Analysts
27% increase in jobs through 2026
$81,390 median annual pay in 2017
Business Continuity Planners
5–9% increase in jobs through 2026
$70,010 median annual pay in 2017
Emergency Management Directors
8% increase in jobs through 2026
$72,760 median annual pay in 2017
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2017-18 Edition
Tuition & Financial Assistance
Money Matters
Boston University Metropolitan College (MET) offers competitive tuition rates that meet the needs of part-time students seeking an affordable education. These rates are substantially lower than those of the traditional, full-time residential programs yet provide access to the same high-quality BU education. To learn more about current tuition rates, visit the MET website.
Financial Assistance
Comprehensive financial assistance services are available at MET, including scholarships, graduate loans, and payment plans. There is no cost to apply for financial assistance, and you may qualify for a student loan regardless of your income. Learn more.
Curriculum
Boston University’s Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Risk Management consists of four required courses (16 credits).
Students interested in further study may transfer credits earned for the Enterprise Risk Management graduate certificate toward degree requirements for the Boston University Master of Science in Enterprise Risk Management.
Courses
(Four courses/16 credits)
Choose four courses from the following:
METAD610 Enterprise Risk Management
This overview course examines the management issues involved with assessing the security and risk environments in both the private and public sectors in order to assure continuous system-wide operations. The course studies the elements of operational and technological risk assessment and operational continuity using a project management framework and quantitative risk metrics. Students are exposed to the role of the firm in crisis response and management as well as the terms, systems, and interactions necessary to assure continuous operations. Topics include: the role and need for comprehensive assurance strategy and planning; information security; an overview of the system-wide structure; the social and emotional impact on the workforce as well as its effect on productivity; and the organizational infrastructure relating to national, regional, and international compliance. [4 credits]
METAD612 COO-Public Emergency Management
Prerequisites: MET AD610 - This course examines emergency management from national, state, local, and family perspectives of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. The course encompasses knowledge of the specific agencies, organizations, and individual behaviors in emergency management as well as the interlinking partnerships between/among these groups. Areas of discussion include: responsibilities at federal, state, community and individual levels; guidelines and procedures for operations and compliance such as the National response Plan; Incident Command Systems (ICS); exercises; plan development, command, and control; communication; partnership development and maintenance; leadership; and numerous other elements related to effective emergency management. The unique and critical roles of private and public partnerships are reviewed and particular attention is paid to the interplay and interdependency among national, state, community, business (public and private), and the individual. 4cr. [4 credits]
METAD613 Enterprise Risk Planning and Compliance
Prereq: MET AD610 - Students are exposed to the important issues relating to corporate and organizational security and risk from both the perspective of systems designed to protect against disasters and aspects of emergency preparedness should systems fail. Engineering science is applied to security areas that include information technology, terrorism, and other organization disruptions. Students study proactive risk assessment through analytical risk analysis techniques and simulations. Students will be able to design a company or agency global assurance plan, organize the strategy to make the plan operational, and implement control measures to assess the plan's degree of success. The course also provides explanations of legal/regulatory, auditing, and industry- specific requirements related to compliance, control, and reporting issue sin business risk management. The role of establishing and maintaining standards by local, national, and international agencies is discussed, as is the importance of these agencies in certifying operations. [4 credits]
METAD614 Disaster Management
Prerequisite: MET AD617 -This course takes concepts covered in MET AD617 and applies them in more detail mainly to the corporate-private sector environment. During this course, we will first review the organization and processes necessary to effectively respond to and manage incidents, including the transition from emergency response and incident management to business recovery. The course will focus on disaster recovery, an absolutely essential but sometimes overlooked component of any successful corporate recovery program. Here, the emphasis is on technology recovery. This includes reviewing the key components of the IT infrastructure; how these components are accounted for in the response and recovery processes; and some best practices in technology recovery modelling. Several emerging technologies relative to cloud computing, information security, etc., are also examined. Prereq: MET AD617 [4 credits]
METAD617 Business Continuity Management
The course presents, assesses, and discusses the contemporary theories, methods and practices related to business continuity (BC), business continuity management (BCM) and resiliency planning. The course incorporates the underpinnings of enterprise-wide risk management (ERM); however, it is designed to focus on broad-based threats, vulnerabilities, unexpected events, emergencies, and crises that may impacts organizations and their leaders and professionals. The course focuses on the design, development and applications of resilience, emergency planning, crisis management, BC, and disaster recovery used by organizations in the private sector. It presents a comprehensive, cutting-edge technologies pertaining BCM in complex organizations and challenging environments. Technological innovations are used to involve a complex array of high-level developments that result in transitions and transformations of businesses. Finally, the environmental considerations center on connections between business and the natural law. [4 credits]
METAD618 Technology Risk Management
Prerequisite: MET AD 610 - Focuses on how leading organizations manage a wide array of technology-related threats and vulnerabilities, ranging from routine outages and operational errors to infrastructure breakdowns and systems failures - right up to significant data breaches, denial of service and ransomware attacks. Principles of technology resilience and its role within the organizational enterprise risk management structure are reviewed, the technology risk landscape is evaluated, the importance of governance and compliance are reinforced, and the infrastructure and processes necessary for organizations to effectively manage technology-related incidents are examined. The course includes how enterprises transition from incident management to technology recovery, and how leading companies design and implement cybersecurity and privacy programs. Prerequisite: MET AD 610. [4 credits]

Canan Gunes Corlu
Associate Professor, Administrative Sciences; Coordinator, Supply Chain Management
PhD, MS, Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University; BS, Koc University

John Maleyeff
Associate Professor of the Practice, Administrative Sciences; Coordinator, Enterprise Risk Management
PhD, MS, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, BA, East Stroudsburg State College
Vladimir Zlatev
Associate Professor of the Practice and Director of Digital Learning, Administrative Sciences; Coordinator, Applied Business Analytics
PhD, MS, BS, Dresden University of Technology
Visiting and Part-time Faculty
Donald Byrne, CBCP, CDCE, ISO Lead Auditor, TIA 942 Lead Auditor
Lecturer
President and CEO, METRIX411; Host, Business IQ Radio Show (WBNH); Chair, TIA Committee on Edge Data Centers
MBA, Southern New Hampshire University; BA, St. John University
Mark Carroll, FBCI, MBCP, PMP, CISSP, CISA, CGEIT, CPIM
Lecturer
Senior Vice President and Business Risk Officer, Income Research + Management (IR+M), Boston; Editorial Advisory Board, Continuity Insights
MBA, Babson College; BA, Boston College
Michael Dolan, CBCP, CEM, EMT-B
Lecturer
Business Continuity Consultant, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
MS, Canisius College; BA, Salve Regina University
View all Faculty
Michael Jennings, CBCP, CBCS, CICRA, CDCP, CCSFP, CIS LI, C GDPR P
Lecturer
Senior Director and Practice Leader, Resiliam; Editorial Advisory Board, Continuity Insights
MS, Boston University; BA, Norwich University

David L. Rainey
Lecturer
PhD, MS, MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; MBA, Western New England College; BS, University of Connecticut
David Weidman, CBCP, CIA, CSP
Lecturer
Former Director (retired) of Business Continuity, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA)
MBA, Suffolk University; BA, Colgate University
Getting Started
To learn more or to contact an enrollment advisor before you get started, request information using the button below and tell us a little about yourself. Someone will be in touch to answer any questions you may have about the program and detail the next steps in earning your degree. You can also start your application or register for a course at Metropolitan College.