Earn a Bachelor's Degree in Fire Protection Engineering Online

Request an Advising Appointment

Why Fire Protection Engineering?
 

50+
Scholarships available for undergraduate FPE students
100%
Job placement at the time of graduation
$83K
Average starting salary for recent graduates

Fire Protection Engineers are in high demand with Job Opportunities all over the United states and the world. There are typically three open entry-level fire protection engineer positions for every student who graduates from our program. Our graduates’ employers include consulting firms, large corporations and government agencies. We have one of the closest-knit, most supportive Alumni Networks around, and our alumni come back to recruit our students every year. 


Information About Pursuing Courses Online


Prospective students who wish to pursue a fire protection engineering degree with online courses at the University of Maryland (UMD) will need to work closely with one of our academic advisors to determine an institution at which they can complete lower-level and prerequisite coursework that is not currently offered online at UMD. 

Students who have a prior associate's degree in engineering, a prior bachelor's degree, or a prior engineering degree will be able to begin fire protection engineering courses online quickly.  Please speak with an advisor to learn more about completing the lower-level coursework required for the degree.

As an institution and a department, we recognize that each student has unique circumstances, including international students and those who might seek to take courses without pursuing a degree. Interested students who might like to pursue a single course or courses in an "a la carte" manner are considered "non-degree seeking" students. See below for more information for these populations and other pertinent details related to pursuing online courses in fire protection engineering.

Students pursuing the online fire protection engineering courses will be Transfer Students. Most students will be External Transfer Students who are not currently at or were previously attending an institution other than the University of Maryland and likely have prior coursework of some kind already completed.  

Engineering is one of the Limited Enrollment Programs at the University of Maryland which means that all students transferring must be admitted to the University of Maryland and also meet the Limited Enrollment Program Gateway Criteria.

Resources:

Non-degree-seeking and international students should review the pertinent sections on this website for information specific to procedures related to their admission processes.

Please visit the Fire Protection Engineering Advising and Academic Support website to learn more about requesting an advising appointment and to view sample graduation plans along with degree requirements.

  • Course Format: Learning will be primarily asynchronous. Classes will be accessible to students in all time zones and with various work schedules.
  • Course Schedule: Fall 2025 courses will include ENFP250: "Introduction to Life Safety Analysis" and ENFP300: "Fire Protection Fluid Mechanics." Please visit the Courses Website to view syllabi for both of these classes.  Course information (like section number and instructor) for future terms will be updated on that site in late February for a fall semester and late September for spring semester.

Interested students who might like to pursue a single course or courses in an "a la carte" manner are considered "non-degree-seeking" students.  

Admission and application steps for non-degree-seeking students:

  1. Apply as a transfer student, following the Transfer Application instructions. Be sure to indicate "non-degree-seeking" on the application.
  2. Submit a Completed Application, official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended, and the application fee. You will be reviewed under the same standards for admission as degree-seeking students and applications received after the Application Deadline are not guaranteed to be reviewed.
  3. If you have not already, alert the FPE advising staff of your application submission and which course/s you wish to pursue.

Further important information:

  • Non-degree-seeking students will need to meet the pre-requisites of ENFP undergraduate courses they wish to take. Should you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in fire protection engineering, you are expected to submit an application and meet the transfer admission requirements as outlined on the Clark School External Transfer website.
  • If you already have a completed bachelor's degree, transcripts are still recommended to demonstration pre-requisite completion. The FPE advising staff will want to view your transcripts to assist you with course planning, but unofficial versions are appropriate for those discussions.
  • Non-degree-seeking students wishing to take a single course during a summer or winter term must complete the application available on the Extended Studies Website.
  • If you wish to enroll for one semester as a visiting student and transfer the coursework back to your home institution, you must submit the transfer application, official transcript/s and a letter of permission from an academic advisor or dean's level representative from your home institution.

International students interested in applying to pursue the online courses in fire protection engineering should thoroughly review the International Student Admission Information provided by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The application checklist for international students provided at the bottom of the page is comprehensive and helpful.  

University of Maryland sponsorship of F1/J1 visas are not available for students pursuing the fire protection engineering online courses. International students pursuing fire protection engineering online courses will need to take those courses while they are located outside of the United States.
International students from certain countries may not be able to pursue fire protection engineering online courses outside the United States due to restricted access to university networks. Please speak with the FPE Advising staff if you believe you might be in this situation.

Students pursuing online Fire Protection Engineering courses will follow the University of Maryland Tuition Structure for in-state and out-of-state tuition. Please note that tuition differs based upon if you are attending full-time or part-time. Students who are only pursuing online courses do not need to pay mandatory fees.

Out of state students (both non-degree-seeking and degree seeking) who enroll in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 are eligible for $2,500 tuition assistance for each fire protection engineering online course. Please speak with the FPE Advising staff for specific limitations, details, and procedures.

Scholarships are available for Fire Protection Engineering students! If you want to learn more, contact an Academic Advisor with any questions. 


 

William Koffel, P.E., FSFPE, SASHE

Visiting Senior Faculty Specialist,
Online Program Director
J.M. Patterson Building
wkoffel@umd.edu

Nicole Hollywood

Associate Director of Programs
3106-D J.M. Patterson Building
301-405-3994
nlholly@umd.edu

Liana Stiegler Orndorff

Recruitment and Advising Coordinator
3106-C J.M. Patterson Building
301-405-9332
listiegl@umd.edu


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