Course summary

Our one-year MSc in Fire Engineering Science will provide you with a deep understanding of the fundamental physical processes of fire behaviour, and their application in engineering. New technologies and climate change are increasingly introducing new and complex fire hazards into environments that were previously considered low risk. As such a knowledge of fire science and its engineering application is critical for societies across the globe to manage, control and prevent the causes of fire. The MSc in Fire Engineering Science will teach you how fires burn (fire dynamics), how regulators control fire risks, and how our environment can be changed to mitigate fire risks. You will also benefit from many practical opportunities to learn about how to measure and study fire phenomena through our fire laboratory class. As part of the dissertation, you will investigate a real-world fire engineering problem. This gives you the opportunity to contribute to enhancing fire prevention and mitigation methods of the future. Students learn as part of a wider group of domestic and international masters students, all studying different aspects of fire safety science and engineering. Classes consist of lectures with academic staff, tutorials where you can deepen your problem-solving ability by directly interacting with staff and researchers at the Edinburgh Fire Research Centre. In addition, the laboratory classes offer the opportunity to get hands-on with fire science diagnostics equipment and learn from leading researchers in fire safety science. You will deepen your knowledge through opportunities to:

• learn from leading experts who are at the forefront of Fire Engineering and whose research informs your teaching

• benefit from the wide-ranging backgrounds of our staff and students, from Engineering, Chemistry to Applied Physics

• gain experience in using industry-standard resources and equipment in our dedicated fire lab and software packages

• interact with industry through extra-curricular activities.

• Create, identify and evaluate possible fire safety engineering options in order to solve complex (multiparameter) problems.

• Analyse experimental evidence and design situations and apply creative thinking to develop the appropriate solutions within the context of fire safety.

• Conduct research and enquiry into fire safety science and engineering issues through research design, the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, synthesising and reporting.

• Have an understanding of the complexity and multidisciplinary nature of many fire safety challenges and handle the complexity associated with ambiguity.

• Evaluate fire safety information thoroughly; identifying assumptions, detecting false logic or reasoning and defining terms accurately in order to make an informed judgement about appropriate actions.