Fire Engineering Science MSc

Courses can change from year-to-year depending on availability. Those listed provide a representation of courses previously offered. Courses for the forthcoming year will be published on the Degree Programme Table in the Spring.

Semester 1

All students take the following courses in semester 1:

• Fire science and fire dynamics
• Fire safety engineering
• Structural design for fire
• Principles of the fire laboratory
• Research methods for engineers
• Heat, mass, and momentum transfer

Semester 2

All students will take the following courses in semester 2:

• Design project
• Fire science
• Fire science laboratory
• Models for fire safety
• Heat, mass, and momentum transfer

Semester 3 - Dissertation

During the summer you will undertake the dissertation under the supervision of a member of our academic staff. For this individual research project, you will be able to further your own interests and select from a wide range of topics, which reflects the breadth and depth of our expertise in the field of fire engineering.

Some recent dissertation topics include:

• Fire safety of timber buildings
• Analysis of smoke in large atria
• Heat transfer processes during flame spread
• Modelling of burning timber
• Flammability of different fuels in wildfire

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

On successful completion of the programme, you will be able to:

• 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.

Internationally, there is great demand for graduates in this field. Expertise in fire safety engineering is particularly relevant as new technologies continue to change the fire hazards presented to people and the environment.

Our previous graduates are in relevant employment, with the majority working in fire teams at engineering consultancies, and others working at research institutions, or pursuing further study.

• Careers service

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, safety engineering, building engineering, architecture, urbanism, spatial planning, or applied physics.

Examples of relevant courses include, but are not limited to, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, structural analysis, engineering/building design project, and the analysis of risk.

We may also consider your application if you have other qualifications or experience, or a background in another field; please contact us to check before you apply.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Deposit

If you receive an offer of admission you will need to pay a deposit to secure your place.

• £1,500 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)

Any applicants who are required to pay will receive an offer with full details. (If there is no information on your offer about the deposit, then you are not required to pay.)

Find out more about tuition fee deposits:

• Tuition fee deposits

Living costs

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Student living costs

Tuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

• borrowing money
  • taking out a loan
  • family support
• personal savings
• income from work
• employer sponsorship
• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Drysdale Scholarships

To support the pipeline of graduates into this field, the University of Edinburgh is offering five full scholarships for home fees students, and two full scholarships for international students.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding