View our on-demand webinar to be introduced to WPI's online graduate programs in Fire Protection Engineering. Get an overview of program logistics, what online learning looks like, the application process, and more!
As a leader in fire science for more than 40 years, WPI gives fire protection engineers the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience to help make the world a safer place. The master’s in fire protection engineering online program is a part-time, flexible program that allows you to explore advanced topics in fire protection and safety and customize a program around your professional expertise and your career and lifestyle goals. Students will work with a faculty advisor to develop a customized and relevant plan of study. A thesis is not required for the fire protection engineering degree online.
WPI also offers an online graduate certificate in Fire Protection Engineering. Our fire protection certificate introduces engineers to innovation and research as it relates to the fire science field. Prefer to study on-campus? Our on-campus graduate certificate in fire protection engineering offer the same rigorous course content that enables students to learn about fire dynamics and computational modeling.
This degree is available on campus.
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Admissions Guidelines for Master’s in Fire Protection Engineering Online
Applicants to the master’s in fire protection engineering online must have a bachelor of science in engineering, engineering technology, or the physical sciences. Applicants must have already taken courses in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and calculus through differential equations. Those with degrees in engineering technology or the physical sciences may be required to take selected undergraduate courses to round out their backgrounds.
For specific application requirements, visit our admissions for online programs page.
If you do not have a bachelor's degree, please view our list of undergraduate programs.
Curriculum
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Program Requirements
10 courses, 30 credit hours. You will work with a faculty advisor to develop a customized and relevant plan of study selected from the courses below. To complete credit hours for the online fire protection engineering degree, courses must be taken in the following areas:
- Core courses* (3 courses required, 9 credit hours)
- Integration courses** (1 course required, 3 credit hours)
- Elective courses (6 courses required, 18 credit hours)
With your advisor’s approval, you may take up to 3 elective courses (9 elective credits) from other WPI graduate departments, either on campus or online.
Thesis option: Currently, WPI’s online graduate programs do not offer a thesis option, as theses cannot be completed online. If you wish to pursue a thesis on campus, it is the student’s responsibility to find an advisor. Please note that depending on the project’s subject and timeframe, there might not be a faculty member willing or able to advise.
View academic term start dates for online fire protection courses.
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Course Schedule
FALL TERM
- FP 520.* Fire Modeling
- FP 521.* Fire Dynamics I
- FP 554. Advanced Fire Suppression
- FP 570.* Building Fire Safety I
- FP 573.** Industrial Fire Protection
- FP 580. Sp Prob: People In Fires
- FP 580. Sp: Complex Decision Making
SPRING TERM
- FP 520. Fire Modeling
- FP 553.* Fire Protection Systems
- FP 555. Detection, Alarm & Smoke Control
- FP 571.** Performance-Based Design
- FP 575. Explosion Protection
- FP 580. ST. Combustion Phenomena - Fire
SUMMER TERM
ADDITIONAL ELECTIVES
- FP 572. Failure Analysis
- FP 580. Sp Prob: Fire Risk Assessment
- FP 580. Sp Prob: Business Practice
- FP 580. Sp Prob: Forensic Techniques
- CE 580. Advanced Project Management
- CE 584. Advanced Cost Estimating
- CE 583. Contracts and Law for Civil Engineers
View current online course schedule for CE electives.
For additional course offerings to satisfy your degree requirements, click here.
Software used in the online fire protection engineering degree program: Decision Tools Suite of programs, Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), NIST – Fire on the Web, CONTAM, PyroSim, EVACMOD.net, CFAST, Pathfinder, AutoSPRINK, AFSS Fire Research Engine
Course offerings are subject to change. If you are interested in enrolling, please contact us for the most up-to-date information.
WPI's MS in Fire Protection Engineering Degree On-Campus
If you’re interested in contributing to making the world a safer place by enforcing necessary fire safety principles, earning a fire protection engineering degree is the path for you. Maybe you prefer to interact and learn in-person? Our on-campus master’s in fire protection engineering provides students the flexibility to learn part-time or full-time in the classroom and hands-on in the fire science lab.
Explore WPI’s Graduate Certificates in FPE
If you’re interested in sharpening your skills in the fire protection engineering, a graduate certificate may be for you. Our fire protection engineering graduate certificate can help bridge the next steps to gain the training and expertise to advance your career in fire protection engineering.
Earn a PhD in Fire Protection
Learn how to make advances in fire science alongside our expert faculty with our PhD in fire protection. This program will explore fire safety, detection, analysis, and more. Be on the forefront of groundbreaking fire research here at WPI.
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Albert Simeoni, Fire Protection Engineering Department Head, Receives Prestigious International Research Award
Simeoni is being honored for “his eminent achievement in the advancement of the science and technology by connecting wildland fire science and fire safety science to better address wildland fire threats as a component of fire protection engineering practice.
What Can You Do With a Fire Protection Engineering Master’s?
Fire protection engineering graduates are in high-demand and find career opportunities across a range of industries and organizations, including fire protection equipment manufacturers, government, insurance, research laboratories, professional societies, fire departments, municipalities, and more.