Fire Protection Engineering To Launch Online Undergraduate Courses in Fall 2025 with Select Tuition Assistance

The Department of Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) at the University of Maryland will launch two online undergraduate courses alongside a new tuition assistance program in 2025.

The department, which houses the only bachelor’s degree of its kind accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), seeks to prepare students to enter a growing job market where the number of available positions in the discipline significantly outpaces the number of graduates.

“The objective of the new undergraduate online courses is to train the high number of graduates that the fire engineering profession needs,” says Arnaud Trouvé, department chair. “The objective is also to provide FPE with the national and international footprint that its unique position in the educational landscape should provide.”

The content, rigor and program requirements for the online courses will replicate its on-campus equivalent. Online courses will primarily be held in an asynchronous format, making coursework accessible to students in all time zones with varying work schedules. Interested students should speak with a fire protection engineering academic advisor to plan their path as early as possible.

"Individuals can also enroll as non-degree seeking students and register for specific courses of interest," says Bill Koffel, director of the undergraduate online program. "We are welcoming students interested in taking all of our courses and getting a bachelor’s degree, as well as students taking courses à la carte and wanting to develop a qualification in an area of specialization."

Courses Offered in Fall 2025

ENFP-250 "Introduction to Life Safety Analysis," an applied course and an introduction to principles of fire safety engineering
ENFP-300 "Fire Protection Fluid Mechanics,” a fundamental course covering the concepts of gaseous and liquid flow relevant to fire protection

Tuition Assistance Program

Out-of-state students who enroll in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 are eligible for $2,500 tuition assistance for each FPE online course. The offer of tuition assistance is intended to cover most of the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition costs. Interested students should speak with a Fire Protection Engineering Academic Advisor.

"We are working hard to make the online undergraduate courses accessible to a wide audience. The new tuition assistance program lowers the financial barrier for out-of-state students," says Nicole Hollywood, associate director of undergraduate and graduate programs. "We also have scholarship opportunities for both in-state and out-of-state students."

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