International Master of Science in Fire Safety Engineering
The International Master of Science in Fire Safety Engineering (IMFSE) equips students with the knowledge and skills to design and engineer the built environment in ways that reduce both the likelihood and the consequences of fire. Our four partner universities (Ghent University, University of Edinburgh, Lund University and UPC Barcelona) each play a leading role in fire safety engineering research and education in Europe, ensuring that graduates gain a broad and high-level understanding of the field. This two-year programme offers a unique international experience, with students studying at a different university each semester.
EUR-ACE® Master (EURopean ACcredited Engineering Master)
The EUR-ACE label was accredited to this programme by the Commission des titres d’ingénieur (CTI), under the auspices of the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE).
EUR-ACE® is a framework and accreditation system that provides a set of standards that identifies high-quality engineering degree programmes in Europe and abroad.
EUR-ACE® Master (EURopean ACcredited Engineering Master)
The EUR-ACE label was accredited to this programme by the Commission des titres d’ingénieur (CTI), under the auspices of the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE).
EUR-ACE® is a framework and accreditation system that provides a set of standards that identifies high-quality engineering degree programmes in Europe and abroad.
What
Fires happen all the time and all over the world. But fire is not a hazard that simply occurs and where we have to accept the consequences. We can engineer the built environment to limit the likelihood of catastrophic fires occurring. The shift from a prescriptive approach towards performance-based fire safety designs creates a growing demand for advanced expertise in the multidisciplinary field of fire safety engineering. Now, climate change and the global transition toward more sustainable ways of living are increasing fire risks, making fire safety engineering more essential than ever.
Fire safety engineering is the application of engineering principles, rules and expert judgement based on a scientific understanding of fire. Fire engineers study fire and its phenomena as well as its effects on the built environment and human behaviour, to identify and quantify the risks. By implementing the principles of performance-based design, they optimize fire protection measures to safeguard life, the environment, property, and cultural heritage.
Fire safety engineering students will learn:
- the nature and characteristics of fire and its spread
- how structures, materials and people behave in the event of a fire
- how to evaluate, quantify and mitigate fire risks
- how to design fire detection, ventilation and suppression systems
- how building design interacts with firefighting and rescue operations
- how to analyse fire incidents and which lessons to draw from them
Find out more about Fire Safety Engineering in our FSE Q&A series.
For whom
The admission requirements may vary. Depending on your prior education, you can either enrol directly or there may be additional requirements.
Structure
The two-year IMFSE programme consists of four terms of thirty credits each. Mandatory student mobility requires students to change their study location after each term, allowing them to benefit from the strengths and expertise of each partner university and possibly, one of our associated partner university.
The first term, covering basic topics in fire safety engineering, is taught at Ghent University or the University of Edinburgh. All students spend their second term at Lund University, with emphasis on enclosure fire dynamics, risk analysis and human behaviour. During the third term, the focus at Ghent University is on fire safety engineering in the built environment, while at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) the focus is on wildfires and industrial fire protection. The fourth term is devoted to the Master dissertation.
The Master dissertation is an essential part of the degree and is aimed at developing and strengthening the student’s research skills. IMFSE students will be able to apply for a topic submitted by one of our partner universities, one of our associated partner universities or by an industry contributor. Students may also submit a topic of their own. The granted topic will determine the location of their fourth and final semester.
Labour Market
A degree in Fire Safety Engineering offers excellent career prospects. Graduates are in strong demand and are usually quickly hired in professional roles with competitive salaries.
The masters can find a job as fire safety engineer:
- in fire protection consultancy companies;
- in design bureaus for structural stability and/or technical equipment of buildings;
- in architect bureaus;
- in fire prevention services of larger cities;
- as responsible person for fire prevention in industry;
- in prevention departments of fire brigades;
- in fire protection equipment industry;
- as fire experts in insurance companies;
- as fire experts in governmental agencies;
- in standard testing laboratories;
- in environmental impact assessment consultancies;
- in health and safety organisations;
- in research and education institutes.
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
- Relevance:In their official quality report, the European Commission (EACEA - Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency) praises the relevance of the Fire Safety Engineering program. This is confirmed by the very high employment rate of our graduates immediately after completion of the IMFSE program. This is the result of the fact that the students learn theoretical knowledge from international top academics in combination with learning state-of-the-art technological aspects from guest professors from the professional FSE (Fire Safety Engineering) world. The general commitment by industry is a strong asset for the IMFSE education. A graduate from our program is thereby a flexible engineer with profound specialization in FSE.
- Multi-perspectivism:We educate our students to become reflective professionals who can work in teams and who occupy leading positions in the FSE professional and academic research world. We value creativity and problem solving skills very highly. Moreover, the strongly international and intercultural character of the student population – the result of the spreading of scholarships in the Erasmus+ framework – ensures that students learn to appreciate both national and international codes of practice in the field of fire safety engineering. The multi-disciplinary character of FSE is also reflected in the program.
- Unique program and degree: The IMFSE program is one of the very few MSc FSE programs in the world of the size of 120 ECTS credits, i.e., the equivalent of 2 full-time academic years. Moreover, it is offered by 11 top institutions: The University of Edinburgh (UK), Lund University (Sweden), UPC Barcelona (Spain) and Ghent University (coordinator) as core partners and The University of Queensland (Australia), ETH Zürich (Switzerland), University of Maryland (USA), Université de Poitiers (France), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (USA), Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute and University of Science and Technology of China (China) as associate partners. The students obtain a degree that is jointly issued by The University of Edinburgh, Lund University, UPC Barcelona and Ghent University. From a contents point of view, we work within the context of ‘Performance-Based Design’, which is common practice and reality of FSE worldwide.
- International talent development: As mentioned, the student population in this program is very international and intercultural. As a student you get some freedom in composing your study program in line with your own fields of interest, developing your talents. You are offered several options within the mobility scheme to determine at which of the IMFSE institutes you complete your degree. Thereby you are continuously challenged by worldwide relevant real-life projects.
- Creation of knowledge, skills and competences: Throughout the program there is a step-wise build-up of knowledge, skills and competences, whereby our students are continuously stimulated to critical self-reflection. Starting from theoretical fundamental principles, the problem solving thinking of our students is developed towards both research and practically relevant and realistic projects.
Strengths
- Student appreciation: The official student survey reveals a very strong appreciation of the IMFSE program. This is the result of what was described in the program key points, but it is also due to the strong involvement of the students in the Program Steering Committee, as this participation ensures that their feedback is heard and leads to adjustments in the program where and when feasible.
- Motivated team of lecturers: The education is delivered by very committed lecturers from different disciplines. Our academic lecturers combine their research expertise with a passion for teaching and dedication to providing a dynamic learning environment in their courses. The guest lecturers bring a strong added value with their input from the professional world.
- Room for practical experience: This is a strong asset of the IMFSE program, as practical experience is guaranteed through the inclusion of the mentioned guest lecturers. Additionally, company visits are organized on a yearly basis and the professional world is involved still more closely in the IMFSE program through their participation in the Advisory Board of the Program Steering Committee, through internships and master thesis topics offered by companies and through their active participation at the annually organized Fire Safety Day.
- Evaluations: Our students appreciate being well-informed on the type and contents of evaluations so that they clearly know what to expect while studying. Also, the variety in types of assessment, depending on the topic and the skills to be tested, is strongly appreciated. Moreover, all exams are screened on relevance and correctness by an independent External Examiner.
- Approachability: Our MSc program focuses on direct and intensive personal contact between lecturers and students. On top of that, there are IMFSE specific administrators at each of the partner institutions, so that our students are assisted in a very good and personal manner when it comes to potential practical problems.
Challenges
- Study time measurements: Although student feedback does not indicate there is a problem, it is for the time being difficult to assess the total workload, as well as its spreading over the two academic years, on the basis of reliable objective study time measurements.
- Follow-up of the master thesis process: The master thesis research and writing take place in the fourth semester. Students are stimulated more intensely to perform already as much preparatory work as possible during the third semester, in order to avoid problems during the relatively short period of work execution in the fourth semester.
- Feedback: Since the students reported that they received insufficient feedback on their assignments, the lecturers have been asked to provide more detailed and timely feedback to the students on every submitted piece of work.
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). Accreditation was extended following the positive outcome of the institutional review in 2022. A renewed accreditation by the Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur in 2022 supplied the study programme with the EUR-ACE Master Label.
This information was last updated on 25/02/2026.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.