Fire Safety Engineering (MSc)

This postgraduate degree emphasises fire safety engineering in the context of buildings and infrastructure and is designed for those who will eventually hold senior positions within the fire-related professions. This involves skills and knowledge crossing all areas of learning including fire chemistry, physics of heat transfer, biology and toxicity, structures, law and legislation, environmental impact, risk management and design. 

Combined into a single discipline, our Fire Safety Engineering master’s degree meets the challenge of modern industrial needs.

Why study with us

• The course is fully accredited by the Energy Institute (EI). They play an active part in ensuring the course is developed to meet professional needs.
• Graduates have become leaders in a range of backgrounds from fire services to civil engineering to safety management.
• This course is supported by an established research base (Centre for Research in Fire and Hazards Science) which builds on the training and educational programmes offered by the Institution of Fire Engineers.

What you’ll do

• This course is underpinned by the Research Centre in Fire and Hazards and benefits from the dedicated fire laboratories including equipment for small and intermediate scale facilities.
• To enhance your work experience you will have an opportunity to undertake a professional placement as part your MSc.
• You’ll carry out project work, which will facilitate dialogue between the Fire Engineer and other members of the design and management teams.

Compulsory modules
These modules are set and you have to study these as part of your course.

Fires in Buildings

• This module introduces fundamental principles underlying fires in buildings, such as mechanisms controlling fire/smoke, and fire development in enclosures and buildings. You'll develop engineering skills in designing buildings for fire safety and fire analysis. The module aims to improve critical thinking, problem-solving, and research skills.

Fire Engineering Solutions

• Our module concentrates on the strategic use of fire engineering that leads to the design and implementation of non-prescriptive solutions to the fire safety modules in buildings. You will be introduced to contemporary research findings that will influence future practice.

Computational Fluid Dynamics

• You'll gain fundamental knowledge and skills in numerical studies and fluid flows, including multiphase and reacting flows and combustion. You'll develop a deep understanding of the numerical programming skills and computational techniques that will will enable you to solve complex engineering and scientific problems in fluid dynamics.

Advanced Engineering Design Project

• You’ll gain and demonstrate engineering design skills in teams and individually. You will develop key critical thinking and problem-solving skills at a postgraduate level. The module combines design, ICT and technology, in a practical context.

Research Methods

• This module will introduce you to the basic aspects of conducting research. This will be reinforced by practical exercises. It will also prepare you for the Dissertation module.

Advanced Engineering Dissertation

• This module aims to provide you with the opportunity to develop independent research and present a coherent, critical account of the work and how it relates to that of others. You will be required to carry out an in-depth study involving theoretical, computational, experimental, or investigative analysis whilst also enhancing your employability skills.

Optional modules

• Depending on how many compulsory modules you take, you may be able to choose optional modules to make up your course.

Fire Protection Strategies

• This module aims to provide you with knowledge of active and passive fire protection techniques and to develop the ability to apply them in the context of modern buildings and construction projects. Exposure to strategies that have been accepted and rejected and the history of fire safety engineering will help you develop the ability to assess and propose design solutions.

Accidents and Catastrophes

• You'll develop an awareness and understanding of accidents and catastrophe phenomena. The module assesses their impact on society, and disaster, and emergency planning. You'll develop analytical and investigative skills applied to accidents and catastrophes.

Safety, Fire & Environmental Management

• You'll study health, welfare and safety legislation relevant to construction, engineering and associated industries. The module will develop upon a sound understanding of health and safety with particular emphasis on human factors and improvement processes.

Risk Assessment and Management

• In this module you will assessing the risks in construction engineering and management processes, building services systems and installations, fire safety, security and insurance.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information. However, our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may cause alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or revisions to subject benchmarks statements. As well as to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Future careers

• Recent graduates have become leaders in a range of professions, from fire services to civil engineering to safety management.
• The range of employment opportunities for MSc Fire Safety Engineering graduates is very wide. The design and safety of buildings for industrial and commercial use is becoming more complex due to the ever-increasing awareness of health and safety needs in the working environment.
• Therefore an ability to solve the problems of fire prevention and control is desirable. The course is intended to provide both skills and knowledge relevant to the management of private and public sector services.