Fire Protection Engineering (MS)

WPI’s pioneering fire protection engineering MS program will prepare you with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience to make the world a safer place—and rewarding and lucrative employment is virtually guaranteed.

A leader in fire science for more than 30 years, WPI offers one of the few graduate programs in the field. Through our interdisciplinary program, you’ll study advanced topics in fire protection and safety and gain the critical thinking skills needed to become a leader in research, policy, education, and beyond.

Pursue your degree part- or full-time, in the classroom or online. Every student benefits from the one-on-one mentorship and applied learning opportunities that are hallmarks of the WPI experience.

Graduate Admissions

Curriculum

Our curriculum is grounded in the fundamentals of engineering, science, and mathematics, and enhanced with the fire safety aspects of human behavior, business, management, and public policy.

You’ll work closely with a faculty advisor to tailor a program that matches your interests and professional goals and can study topics including fire suppression, risk management, industrial fire protection, and explosion protection.

Thesis and non-thesis options are available, and both part- and full-time students may participate in our internship program that matches students with sponsors around the globe.

Graduate Catalog

This degree is also offered online.

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Research

WPI’s Fire Protection Engineering Department (FPE) has an internationally recognized research focus, creating frontline fire scenarios to better understand such areas as fire dynamics, building properties, and human response to fire-related emergencies.

MS students have many opportunities to work alongside faculty researchers who are immersed in finding and applying new ways to predict fire behavior and inform regulatory policy. Our students conduct research on topics including building design and evaluation, in situ burning for oil spills, and forensic analysis of fire damage.

Explore Our Research

At WPI you will have access to fire protection engineering facilities unmatched in both academia and industry. FPE graduate students conduct both course-based and independent research in our state-of- the-art Fire Science Laboratory, Combustion Laboratory, Fire Modeling Laboratory, and Wet Lab.

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Student Profiles

Kathy A. Notarianni

Associate Professor

Fire Protection Engineering

Today, firefighters serve increasingly as first responders for emergency medical calls, civil emergencies, terrorist threats, and hazardous materials incidents, in addition to fire emergencies. The fire service needs tools and technologies that aid in carrying out their ever expanding mission without increasing costs. My research is focused on working with the fire service to achieve this important goal. I am conducting research on fire department mobilization times and exposure of fire fighters to toxic gases.

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Milosh T Puchovsky

Professor of Practice

Fire Protection Engineering

Fire protection engineers recognize and assess a broad range of fire and life safety risks and, possess the technical knowledge and skills needed to develop effective solutions. Through my academic endeavors and professional practice, I bring practical perspectives to our students' educational experience. My teaching incorporates situations that practicing fire protection engineers face on a daily basis, facilitating our students' functional understanding of a fire's physical behavior, its impact, and the role of reacting systems, regulations and product standards.

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Nicholas A. Dembsey

Professor

Fire Protection Engineering

My research focuses on the building performance applications of fire dynamics, fire characteristics of materials and fire models as well as fire surveillance applications of UAVs.

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Ali S. Rangwala

Professor

Fire Protection Engineering

Current fire-safety standards do not fully account for the wide range of combustibility of materials found in industrial settings. Nor do the standards provide for accurate measurement of hazardous dust accumulation within the environment. My research addresses combustion, industrial fire protection, and explosion protection. Among the potentially life-saving projects I’m working on is the development of measurement and ~sensing devices designed to identify the presence, velocity, and flow direction of smoke.

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Getting Involved

Graduate students are an integral part of WPI’s active and engaged campus, from student government to performing arts. Fire protection engineering (FPE) students may also join the WPI Student Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, which organizes seminars, speakers, and field trips on FPE topics.

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Students walking around the fountain in the springtime

After Graduation

A rewarding and lucrative career is virtually guaranteed for fire protection engineering graduates, as the global demand for highly skilled fire protection engineers continues to grow. Our students are highly sought after and find work within the fire protection industry and in the sectors of consulting, government, and research, education, and testing.

Career Outlook

Fire Protection Engineering Department