At a Glance, Department of Fire Protection Engineering, University of Maryland

At a Glance

Did you know …

•	The University of Maryland has the *only* accredited FPE department in the U.S.
•	FPE graduates are *highly sought* by employers
•	FPE’s are among *highest paid* of all engineers
•	FPE is a *challenging, dynamic* field
•	FPE’s get involved in
	–	Fire forensics
	–	Research and development
	–	Computer simulations of fire behavior, smoke movement, evacuation and structural response
	–	Design

Fireballs from jet fuel,
World Trade Center

Water mist research

WHAT IS FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERING?

Fire Protection Engineering provides the sophisticated technical tools needed to safeguard lives and property from fire


Water mist nozzles	Computer simulation, room fire

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

•	FPE Department founded in 1956
•	Only ABET accredited undergraduate FPE program in the U.S.
•	One of only two graduate programs in the country
•	Renowned faculty with professional experience, many are licensed PE’s
•	Small department: Get to know faculty and students
•	Hands-on projects and experiments


Small-scale experiment of 96th floor of World Trade Center	Carpet experiment

SUBJECTS

Fire Behavior

Fire Simulation

Smoke Management

Fluid Mechanics

Structural Fire Protection Risk

Heat Transfer

Fire Detection and Suppression

Life Safety

Analysis

Evacuation analysis	Experiment on flames
Flame spread experiment

FINANCIAL

Wide range of internships/co-ops available Scholarships available In-state tuition possible for students from southern region through Academic Common Market

CAREERS

•

More jobs than qualified people to fill them (200 jobs/yr compared to approx. 80 FPE graduates)

•

Starting salaries $50,000-55,000

•

Recent employers include:

If you would like more information on joining Maryland students and faculty studying fire protection
engineering at a top-ranked, major university, visit our website www.fpe.umd.edu

Contact Dr. Jim Milke, Associate Chair at 301-405-3995 or milke@umd.edu

Arrange a visit and tour of the department facilities. Learn more about engineering at Maryland
at information sessions, Fridays, 1-2 pm. See www.eng.umd.edu/prospective

We look forward to hearing from you!