Fire engineers may benefit from earning an online bachelor's degree

Fire engineers may benefit from earning an online bachelor's degree

Those who wish to become fire engineers may benefit from enrolling in a campus-based or online degree programs. These professionals held approximately 365,600 jobs two years ago, and their future employment prospects are expected to grow by 19 percent over the next eight years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

In order to prepare more adults for careers in this field, Lewis University recently announced that it will offer an online bachelor's degree in fire service administration. The curriculum for this program focuses on risk management, planning fire protection in communities, personnel and labor management as well as financial management. Other classes examine issues and trends in fire service administration, applications for fire research and intelligence gathering.

The university's online degree is designed to give students an education in a convenient and flexible format.

According to the BLS, top-earning firefighters in their field took home an average of $104,780 in 2008. Professionals who are physically fit and score the highest on physical-conditioning and mechanical aptitude exams may have the best chances for employment.

By Mark Danson