Master of Engineering in Fire Protection Engineering

Fire protection engineers are among the most sought-after professionals in the industry. Performance building codes and the international trend towards performance-based fire safety analysis and design approaches in construction have increased the demand for fire protection engineers. The University of Maryland’s fire protection engineering degree programs represent the Department of Fire Protection Engineering’s commitment to preparing engineers for the challenges of this rapidly growing field.

Courses are taught by the university’s foremost experts in fire protection engineering as well as international experts from business and industry. Established in 1956, the Fire Protection Engineering Department is one of only a few graduate fire protection engineering degree programs in the US. Our programs in Fire Protection Engineering are geared toward working engineering professionals and are offered both on campus and online.

Students taking courses on campus for the Master of Engineering degree work with an advisor to identify a course of study based on the student’s professional interests. Fire protection engineering courses are available to explore basic processes of fire behavior, prediction of fire development, the combustion of materials and furnishings, the effects of fire on structures and the environment, smoke management, evacuation, and tenability analysis, and the law. Courses may also be approved by other engineering departments or technical areas, e.g. mathematics.

In addition to the general rules of the Graduate School, certain special degree requirements are set out in departmental requirements. The degree requirement is to complete ten approved courses, including a minimum of six fire protection engineering courses.