Updated Nov. 25, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Zunara Naeem

The School of Medicine and Health Sciences will roll out an online bachelor’s degree this spring devoted to training the individuals who direct teams of first responders.

The emergency response management program will teach medical crew leaders about financial management and health care quality.

Anne Banner, spokeswoman for the medical school, said the program, which launched in 1986 and online in 2003, will seek about 20 students in its first online cohort.

The classes emphasize the theory of planning, marketing and various types of management among other subjects, and are designed for students with experience responding to medical emergencies.

More universities are offering emergency health service management courses in recent years, including Boston University, the University of North Carolina and Springfield College.

The medical school offers four other online bachelor’s degrees, in addition to several master’s degree programs. It is also planning to offer a new master’s degree in emergency health services management this spring, but Banner said they are not yet accepting applications.

Students applying to the program are expected to have completed 60 credits of general education courses, have taken an EMT-B course and have relevant experience in the field.