Online Fire Science Degree

[FirefighterE301]

i did some diging in to find out about this. there was a student who wrote in the CSU student forums who has his BBA from CSU and wanted to get his MBA. he wrote Yale University and they are accepting his credits from CSU to get his MBA from Yale.

plus look at their list of "learning partnets". it is a list of fire department, police departments, municipalities and coorporations from the USA that send their people through CSU. i dont think places such as FDNY, Delta Airlines, Boeing, City of Gulf Shores, the Federal Protective Service and so on would spend money on their people to the university if they thought it was not a good program.

http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/alli...ngpartners.asp

CSU is by far the best school to get your AAS degrees and or your BS! Yes it is hard that is why it is called college not high school. Also with all online learning you get what you put in to it. If you truly want and degree and you want to do it online CSU is a good way to go.

[MikeWard]

i did some diging in to find out about this. there was a student who wrote in the CSU student forums who has his BBA from CSU and wanted to get his MBA. he wrote Yale University and they are accepting his credits from CSU to get his MBA from Yale.

That is nice to hear, (link here) but more that half of the academic institutions will not accept academic work from institutions with only DETC accreditation.

CSU only has DETC accreditation. CSU graduates will have a problem if they want to use their coursework at other academic institutions. From the best independent source of non-traditional education:

Mariah P. Bear with Thomas Nixon (2006)
Bear’s Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning. 16th edition.
Berkley; 10 Speed Press.
Chapter 8: Accreditation, page 39

“… while most schools with regional accreditation will recognize credits and degrees issued by other schools with regional accreditation, less than half will recognize a student’s achievements from a DETC-accredited school, even though both accreditors meet CHEA standards, …”

In my area George Washington University, where I work, and the University of Maryland will not accept coursework from CSU or any other institution that does not have regional academic accreditation.

It is clear that, for many fire departments, the issue of regional academic accreditation is not important. They accept CSU coursework. The problem is that the student's investment in a DETC only institution is the same as a regionally accredited institution, but there is much less value in the DETC only degree outside of the department.

[hyrisk]

Are there any online institutions that are both regionally certified and DETC accreditation for fire technology?

[VallejoFireDogg]

Are there any online institutions that are both regionally certified and DETC accreditation for fire technology?

im wondering if there is a FULL online B.A. also. keiser looks to only have an A.S.

[FirefighterE301]

columbia southern offers a Bachelor of Science in Fire Science.

[MikeWard]

im wondering if there is a FULL online B.A. also. keiser looks to only have an A.S.

Lake Superior State University was the FIRST to earn International Fire Service Accreditation Council (IFSAC) accreditation for it's bachelor degree program.

http://www.lssu.edu/programsofstudy/firescience/

The GENERALIST track is the online option.

[FirefighterE301]

whatever college you pick make sure they are nationally accredited and or regionally accredited.

[FireInspectorPA]

For those of you who are wondering what if I can not always be a "fireman" and why do I really need a B.S. in Fire Science. I asked the same questions so I have started my B.S. in Public Safety Administration at Grand Canyon University of Ariziona. This school is real and has been since 1949 nice thing is they have some programs online. Of all the schools I have worked with to get things together they are the best. Better then EKU, UMUC, and any others.

P.S. Columbia Southern as you all should know there are enough posts on here about it is not regionally accredited.

GCU!!!

[NCalif]

What is the going opinion of Online Fire Science Degrees? Are they worth the money? I am currently testing for departments on the west coast, I have a BS in Environmental Science and I am in paramedic school. Do people think that is is worth the time and money to get an online fire science degree?

[edudoc]

I know I'm responding to an old post, but there's a new program worth checking out. Lake Superior State U., MI, (IFSAC approved) and The College Network are now partners for online Associate and Bachelor of Science degrees.
Full disclosure: I put my own daughter through her RN program via TCN (at retail, no less) before I became a Program Advisor. With two kids and a full-time job, distance learning at her own pace in her own home made the difference.
www.college-net.com/balich or call me and I'll find you someone local to answer questions. 518-496-4600 But me or not, check the program out.

[sierra83]

Anyone know of any classes in southern ca, thanks?

[DFCFFEMT14]

I'll go ahead and weigh in as I am currently taking classes through Columbia Southern University. I started there a couple of years ago and have been working on classes here and there when I have the time and money. I still have a ways to go, but definately making progress.

When I started looking at distance education for fire science/administration I remember having it narrowed down to CSU and UMUC(University of Maryland, University College). If if remember correctly the biggest reason I chose CSU was the flexible scheduling. The per-course enrollment allows you to start a class whenever and you are given ten weeks to complete it. They are reasonably priced (almost the same as my local state university).

In reference to some of the concerns posted reference CSU, I can only speak for my experience. The interaction I have had with the instructors has been fine, but then again I tend to be very independent when it comes to learning which is why I knew distance education would work for me. As far as the difficulty of the courses go I have had a couple that were moderately challenging and a couple that were a cake walk. But then again, when I took my AAS in Fire Science I had classes like that as well. And as someone mentioned, you really do get out of a course what you want. The more effort you put into studying and understanding the material, the more you will retain and be able to apply to life after the class is finished.

Also, as far as accredidation for CSU, here is the info:
http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/abou...editation.html

When looking for an online education, take a serious look at the offerings of the different places. Make a list if the things that are important to you and compare it to what they offer. A college education is more than a piece of paper saying that you took some classes and spent a lot of money. Make it worthwhile and find the right school for you.

[SDFDCAR3]

I know over 50 firefighters that have tried online degrees and only 1 that completed it. He only completed because he was able to transfer another BS degree credits into the fire science BS degree. Those online degrees are structured so you never finnish.

I went to a local University and was out in 2 years (with aas credits). I recommend you look into staying local if you can.

Others might not agree with me, but the stats don’t lie. I bet you can’t find 10 people on here that completed an online BS degree.

Good luck, sorry for being so bold, just don’t want you to throw your $ away.

[Morhadel]

my friend is helping me with choosing the right online collage for me and he has an AA from a comunity collage and a BS from from night classes and an MA from online. i think its more about following your curriculum evaluation and degree compleation plan.

[FiremanLyman]

I am 6 classes away from a CSU BS in Fire Science. While the classes are no where near as tough as a regular college class, I seem to be getting a lot out of it. I think it is more about your own self determination; anyone can pass the CSU online classes, but you have to be a little more dedicated to really make the most of the courses offered.

[jeckysmith]

Removed by Moderator

[anglstl]

For what purpose do you want the feedback for peak pikes community college. Because each and every college has its own popularity for study their. So for which course do you want to know about the college.

[davidrobinson911]

I found a really good program in Pennsylvania, it's a smaller school but has a great program.

Lewis University has a lot of great programs I earned their Bachelor in Fire Science Degree . It was great and I learned a lot, I would recommend there Fire Safety Programs to anyone.

[Cogswell_FESHE]

You might want to look at the one of the National Fire academy Baccalaureate programs offered around the country.

Cogswell College has a 100% FESHE program online.

Check out their website: http://www.cogswell.edu/academics/ddp_about.php

My colleagues and I went through the program and we liked it alot. We all have promoted now.

[Cogswell_FESHE]

Southern Columbia Universit is NOT regionally accredited. I would worry about transferring degree and course work to another school.