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Fire Protection Engineering

Launch your Career - Fall 2010

"Fire protection engineers use science and technology to protect people, property and businesses from destructive fires." - Society of Fire Protection Engineers

Master of Science in Fire Protection Engineering

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in partnership with the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and leading fire protection engineering firms, is developing a Master of Science in Fire Protection Engineering program. The projected start date is fall 2010.

Critical Workforce Shortage

The demand for fire protection engineers is critical in the western states. There are no fire protection engineering programs in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, or Washington State. The two established fire protection engineering programs are located on the east coast. Fire protection engineering firms report that there are many open positions for fire protection engineers that go unfilled every year.

Meeting the Demand

The new program will help meet the West’s critical need for fire protection engineers by offering a full master of science in fire protection engineering for those who want advanced, in-depth knowledge of the science and technology embedded in the fire protection engineering profession.

Who are Fire Protection Engineers?

According to the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), “Fire protection engineers use science and technology to protect people, property and businesses from destructive fires. They analyze how buildings are used, how fires start, how fires grow, and how fire and smoke affect people, buildings and property.  Fire protection engineers use the latest technologies to:

  • Design systems that control fires, alert people to danger and provide means for escape;
  • Evaluate buildings to pinpoint the risks of fires and the means to prevent them;
  • Conduct fire safety research on consumer products and construction materials; and
  • Investigate fires to discover how fire spreads, why protective measures failed, and how those measures could have been designed more effectively. 

They work with architects and other engineers, state and local building officials and local fire departments to build and maintain fire-safe communities. They make recommendations for cost effective fire protection solutions to ensure that the structure, and the property and occupants contained within are adequately protected.

Why Cal Poly?

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) is ideally suited to develop and launch the west coast’s fire protection engineering program. Centrally located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Cal Poly is a nationally recognized university in the areas of engineering, technology, and applied science. Several of its professional colleges including the College of Engineering and the College of Architecture and Environmental Design are ranked among the best in the nation. The University’s historic educational philosophy of Learn-by-Doing will be rooted into the program.

The graduate program will be offered as a partnership between the University’s professional colleges and Continuing Education and University Outreach, the University’s extension and engagement unit to business, industry and the larger community. The master’s degree will be awarded by the College of Engineering.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Dennis “Skip” Parks, Dean, Continuing Education and University Outreach,
805.756.7438 or cedean@calpoly.edu