These information sessions are held on Zoom and geared towards prospective on-campus students and their families. Prospective online returning learners are welcome to attend as well to learn more about the courses in our program and what you can do with a FPE degree. In this one-hour session, you will learn about fire protection engineering career paths, courses in the major, and admissions pathways.
Click on the date you would like to attend to register. Registrants will receive an email with the Zoom. Pre-registration is required; the registration form will close at the session start time.
The UMD Department of Fire Protection Engineering began offering online undergraduate courses in Fall 2025 in response to demand from industry professionals and returning learners across the country and around the world! Please visit our Online Undergraduate Courses page for details.
Please follow this process to find out more about our online course opportunities:
Step 1: Watch our current Online Courses Information Session (less than 50 minutes)
Step 2: (Optional! Drop-in virtual hours) Register to Attend a Q&A Session (offered monthly on the second Tuesday)
Step 3: Send transcripts for review
Step 4: Receive results and consider next steps offered before application.
Fall 2026 Online Courses Live Q&A Sessions:
- Tuesday, September 8, 7-8 p.m. EST
- Tuesday, October 13, 7-8 p.m. EST
- Tuesday, November 10, 7-8 p.m. EST
- Tuesday, December 8, 7-8 p.m. EST
All on-campus events are geared towards prospective on-campus students. High school students, community college students, and current UMD students, along with their families, are welcome to attend. Select the date you would like to attend to register. Pre-registration is required for all events. An email with location and parking details will be sent to registrants.
Signature Event! Information Session + Tour
In this full two-hour session, you will learn about fire protection engineering courses, career paths, and admissions pathways in addition to touring our fire and computer modeling labs. You will meet a faculty member, current students, and an academic advisor.
FPE Tour Only (No Information Session)
In this one-hour tour led by FPE Student Ambassadors, you will tour the Fire Protection Engineering department and lab spaces, including our fire and computer modeling labs. This event is geared towards prospective students who have already attended a virtual information session and would like to follow up with an in-person visit. Tours will not cover all of the details about courses, career paths, and admissions that are covered in our information sessions. The focus of the tour will be on the on-campus student experience and fire protection engineering research.
Attending an information session prior to applying for a Future Fire Protection Engineer Day is strongly encouraged.
If you think fire protection engineering could be the major and career path for you, apply to attend a Future Fire Protection Engineer Day for an exclusive day in the life of a fire protection engineering student visit experience. These visit days are led by our FPE Student Ambassador Team.
Fall 2026 Dates:
- Thursday, October 22
- Tuesday, November 3 (Election Day, many school systems are closed)
Apply for a Fall 2026 Future Fire Protection Engineer Visit Day.
Completing the application does not guarantee a spot, as space is limited. Students who complete the application by October 1 will be informed no later than October 5 whether they have received a spot for a Fall 2026 visit day. Applications received after October 1 will be processed on a rolling basis if space remains available. If you have completed the form and would like an update on your application status, please email Nicole Hollywood at nlholly@umd.edu.
Future Fire Protection Engineering visit days include:
- Attending two fire protection engineering classes
- Lunch with current fire protection engineering students
- Tours of the FPE department, labs, and Clark School buildings
- Meetings with FPE faculty and/or an academic advisor
Due to limited capacity, applications are required for these visit days. Preference will be given to students who:
- Plan to apply to UMD within the next two years
- Have demonstrated interest in the FPE major through attendance at an information session
- Have taken advanced math and science courses at their high school or community college and have achieved a high GPA
- Have demonstrated interest in engineering by taking engineering coursework in school or involvement in STEM-related extracurricular activities
