Study plan - Bachelor in Fire Safety Engineering

Learning outcomes

A candidate with completed qualifications should have the following total learning outcomes:

 

Knowledge:

The candidate:

• has broad knowledge that provides a holistic system perspective on the field of engineering, especially in the field of fire safety engineering.
• has basic knowledge in the field of mathematics, natural science, relevant social and economics sciences and how these can be integrated in the field of fire protection solutions.
• has knowledge of the historical development of technology and especially on fire safety technology, the engineer's role in society and the consequences of the development and the usage of this technology.
• knows the research and development in her/his field, as well as relevant methods and ways of working in the field of engineering.
• can update her/his knowledge in the field, through gathering of information and contact with experts and practice.

 

Skills:

The candidate:

• can apply knowledge and relevant results from research and development to solve theoretical, technical and practical problems in the field of fire safety engineering and can justify her/his choice.
• knows digital solutions in the field of engineering, can work in relevant laboratories and can master measurement methods , the use of relevant instruments and software, as a basis for targeted and innovative work.
• can identify, plan and implement the projects of technical engineering, tasks, tests and experiments, independently and in teams.
• can find, evaluate, use and refer to information and technical material and present it so that it highlights a problem.
• can contribute new ideas, innovation, quality management and entrepreneurship through the development and implementation of sustainable and socially beneficial products, systems and / or solutions.

General competence:

The candidate:

• knows in connection with product and solutions the consequences on environment, health, society and economics in the field, remarking ethical and lifetime perspectives.
• can communicate knowledge related to fire safety to various audiences both in writing and orally in Norwegian and English and can help to demonstrate the technology's importance and consequences.
• can reflect on her/his professional practice, as well as a team member and in an interdisciplinary context, adapting the result to the current work.
• can contribute to the development of professional work through participation in professional discussions in the field and share her/his knowledge and experiences with others.

 

Content

The 3-years program leads to a Bachelor's degree. The Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) is the only university in Norway that offers a bachelor's degree in fire safety engineering. With this background the Department of engineering has profiled heavily in safety studies.

Focus on fire protection and safety becomes more and more important in today's society. Longer tunnels, higher buildings, complex ships and offshore installations provide great and exciting challenges for the fire engineers. The study handles fire control processes, the estimation of the size of fire, as well as the consequences of fire. The study is interdisciplinary, and the central themes are fire physics, risk analysis, internal controls, fire protection and building technology. We are also focused on the planning of various emergency situations.

Target group:

Candidates who want to work with the fire safety issues.

 

Teaching

The teaching and learning methods are varied and aim to invite the students to activity and independent thinking. The teaching methods vary, with lectures, solving exercises in groups, and problem-based learning being the most common. In addition to individual reading, group work is the primary form of study for the students. The lecturers make a great effort in preparing the lectures and the students are expected to show prepared.

 

Practical training: The study includes no compulsory practice.

 

R&D base: A research-based and analytically approach to the topics dominate the teaching of courses included in the program. This means that teaching should reflect a research approach to problems and academic themes. Lecturers that conduct research should convey their knowledge to students, in terms of research topics, theory and research methods. They will also guide students working with their bachelor's thesis. The students will learn to apply relevant research literature and use research-based knowledge in their academic work.

 

Practical information about the program: Course content follows the National Curriculum provided by the Ministry of Education and Research. The three-year study is divided into six semesters, each of 30 credits (ECTS), totally 180 credits. The programme includes academic diversity of courses ranging from 10 to 20 credits. After three years (180 credits) the candidate obtains the Bachelor of Engineering degree. In the 5th semester there is an opportunity to select blocks of elective courses. In some of these courses prerequisites are necessary, whenever education is arranged so that the topics are based on each other during study.

 

The special three-semester plan (TRESS) implies a particular programme for the first year. It starts with a summer school before the ordinary first year. Then there is extra teaching in the first semester, and also a part of the summer between 1st and 2nd year are used for studies. Within the the start of the 2nd year, students in this program have obtained the same learning outcomes as students at the ordinary plan.

 

The study is headed by a Head of department and each subject has its lecturer with academic responsibility. In some subjects there are allocated student assistants. In each grade level, students choose two representatives to interact directly with the Head of Department. In addition, two selected reference persons per. subject interact with the lecturer.

 

The teaching methods vary, with lectures, solving exercises in groups, and problem-based learning being the most common. In addition to individual reading, group work is the primary form of study for the students. The workload in a course is measured in credits. One year full-time is normally 60 credits. Most courses are 10 credits. The courses run over one or two semesters. In a full-time study, a minimum of 40 hours of productive work each week during the study is required. Some students will need to use more time.

 

Information and communication technology is integrated into teaching and computer-based support systems are key tools in the scientific and educational work.

 

Teaching takes place primarily between the hours of 8:15 and 16:00, teaching in the afternoon may occur.

Assessment

In the study there are several different types of assessment in the different courses. The assessment in one course can for example be in the form of a written exam, portfolio assessment, verbal exam, project or a home exam. A course can have one assessment or a combination of several such as for example written exam and a portfolio assessment. In many of the courses there is compulsory work. This is assignments that does not count to the grade, but must be approved for the student to be able to take the exam in the course.

Information about the assessments is stated in the course description and is presented by each course coordinator at start of the semester. For more information see Regulations governing studies and exams at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences on the HVL-webpage.

 

 

 

Internationalization

Study programs at university are organized so that students may take 1-2 semesters of their education abroad. We have many agreements with other universities in the Socrates/Erasmus and Leonardo da Vinci EU programs. You may read more about HVL Haugesund's foreign exchange offers here.

Most courses are taught in Norwegian, while much of the literature is in English. In the 5th semester courses might be taught in English so that students from abroad can have an exchange, at the same time as this is a part of the internationalization for our students that don't take an exchange.