Fire and Emergency Services

major | UF Online

The Fire and Emergency Services degree program is designed to add the academic substance to prepare graduates to lead public or private sector fire, EMS, and emergency management. Students earn a bachelor of science with the ability to specialize in fire, emergency medical services management, or emergency management.

About this Program

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.

School Information

The mission of the M. E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management is to be the center of excellence for construction. The Rinker School will pursue this by promoting professional and ethical behavior in education and practice, advancing the industry by creating new knowledge through research and scholarly activities, educating individuals in principles, knowledge, and skills required to be successful in their professional careers, and providing service and transferring knowledge to the citizens of Florida, the construction industry, professional societies, the nation, and the world.
Website

CONTACT

Email | 352.273.1150 (tel) | 352.392.9606 (fax)

P.O. Box 115703
304 RINKER HALL
GAINESVILLE FL 32611-5703
Map

 Curriculum

The program specializations offer the student the ability to focus their degree in three different aspects of the emergency services industry. The program prepares the graduates for advancement in the ranks for the fire service, EMS and emergency management. In addition, graduates can find jobs at the local, state and national level of government, insurance companies, industry, and other areas. Students may apply to the university at the junior year after earning the Associate of Arts degree from a Florida state college or other regionally accredited academic institution. Freshman and sophomore coursework will be taken at a Florida state or public college or other regionally accredited academic institution.

After being accepted, students can pursue a Bachelor of Science without moving to Gainesville. Coursework for the junior and senior years will be offered via electronic distance learning, and UF faculty will teach and advise students in the program.

Students need access to a personal computer capable of connecting to the Internet.

Course requirements for the Degree

The BS degree is for students with different professional objectives. All students, regardless of specialization, are required to take FES 3015 as their opening course.

Each specialization has a specific set of required core courses required courses and electives of upper-division courses that represent important interdisciplinary topic areas. Core courses provide students with the knowledge and fundamental concepts essential to the specialization. The required courses are designed to be applicable across all specializations. The electives allow the students to select courses that meet their career interest. Upper-division courses are designed to build knowledge, competency and skills applicable to professional development.

Students should meet with an advisor as early as possible in their academic careers to choose their specialization and to plan their course of study.

Coursework

Fire Management       

Core Coursework by Specialization
FES 3004Political and Legal Foundations of Fire Protection3
FES 3533Community Risk Reduction for Emergency Services3
FES 3782Applications of Fire Research3
FES 4003Fire and Emergency Services Administration3
FES 4045Fire and Emergency Services Human Resource Management3
FES 4585Management of Fire Prevention Programs3
FES 3815Command and Control at Catastrophic Fire-Rescue Incidents3
Total Credits21

EMS Management           

Core Coursework by Specialization
FES 3223Foundations of EMS3
FES 3233EMS Safety and Risk Management3
FES 3284Management of Emergency Medical Services3
FES 4244Legal, Political, and Regulatory in EMS3
FES 4274Quality Management and Research in Emergency Services3
FES 4234EMS Community Risk Reduction3
FES 4224Management of Mass Casualty Incidents3
Total Credits21

Emergency Management

Core Coursework by Specialization
FES 3533Community Risk Reduction for Emergency Services3
FES 3822Disaster Policy in Emergency Management3
FES 4003Fire and Emergency Services Administration3
FES 4014Foundations of Emergency Management3
FES 4045Fire and Emergency Services Human Resource Management3
FES 4884Introduction to Terrorism in Emergency Management3
FES 3815Command and Control at Catastrophic Fire-Rescue Incidents3
Total Credits21

All Specializations

Required Coursework for All Specializations
FES 3153FES Communication and Informational Technology3
FES 3753Fire and Emergency Services Financial Management3
FES 4023Fire and Emergency Services Ethical Practices and Leadership3
FES 4055Fire and Emergency Services Public Relations3
FES 4825Disaster Planning and Control3
FES 3720Strategic Planning for FES3
FES 3015Principles of Fire and Emergency Services Management3
Total Credits21

Electives 

Electives
Select six:18
Analytical Approaches to EMS
Advanced Leadership Issues in Emergency Medical Services
Analytical Approaches to Fire Protection
Multi-Agency Incident Command
Regulatory Issues in Fire and Emergency Services
EMS Special Operations
Fire Investigation and Analysis
Disaster Recovery and Mitigation
Critical Incident Management for Emergency Managers
Natural Disaster Phenomena in Florida
Special Studies in Fire and Emergency Services
Current Issues in Fire and Emergency Services
Public Safety Educator
Ambulance Operations
Management of Fire-Related Human Behavior
Any course from other core courses
Total Credits18
Required Coursework for All Specializations21
Core Coursework by Specialization21
Electives18
Total Credits60

The School of Construction Management offers an accessible Bachelor of Science program for members of the Fire and Emergency services. This degree program is designed to build on students' experience in the fire service and to add the academic substance to prepare students to lead public or private sector fire and emergency service units.

Before Graduating Students Must

  • Demonstrate ability in management, labor issues, and operations.
  • Demonstrate ability in services related to medical, disaster, and human resources.
  • Demonstrate ability in public relations, ethical practices, and leadership.
  • Complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree, as determined by faculty.

Students in the Major will Learn to

Student Learning Outcomes | SLOs

Content

  1. Identify and evaluate organizational problems associated with fire and emergency services.
  2. Identify and demonstrate proper knowledge and use of comprehensive emergency management/command and control skills in major catastrophic incidents in fire and emergency services.
  3. Illustrate knowledge and legal application of safety, health, and environmental regulations at state and federal levels.

Critical Thinking

  1. Demonstrate effective leadership behavior and skills in fire and emergency services.
  2. Properly address issues of management, code regulations, and the labor market in fire and emergency services.

Communication

  1. Demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills for leadership in fire and emergency services.

Curriculum Map

I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed

Courses SLO 1 SLO 2 SLO 3 SLO 4 SLO 5 SLO 6
FES 3015 I I I I I I
FES 3033 I I I I I
FES 3153 I
FES 3284 I, R I, R I, R I, R I, R I, R
FES 3285 I, R I, R I, R I, R
FES 3753 I I I
FES 3755 I, R I, R I, R I, R
FES 3803 I I, R I I, R I
FES 3815 R R I, R
FES 3823 A I, R I, R I, R
FES 4003 R I, R R R A
FES 4023 R A A
FES 4034 A
FES 4045 A
FES 4055 R
FES 4224 A
FES 4585 A
FES 4825 R
FES 4935 R

Assessment Types

  • Exams
  • Final papers