Bachelor’s Degree Requirements

Please visit EKU’s Academic Course Catalog

EKU’s Bachelor’s degree in Fire, Arson and Explosion Investigation is designed to prepare you for a variety of careers in the fire science and safety field while also giving you the opportunity for a distinct area of specialization.

The courses in the program include a broad-based study of fire science with an emphasis on the knowledge and skills needed to explore, determine and document the origin and cause of fire.  Courses such as Fire Behavior and Combustion will introduce you to how a fire functions while a course like Fire, Arson and Explosion Case Preparation will teach you how to prepare a case for trial.

The combination of what you learn in the classroom at EKU and the experience you’ll gain through internships, co-ops and your first job will make you very valuable to the industry.

Some careers available with a Fire, Arson and Explosion Investigation degree are:

• Fire Investigator (public and private)
• Fire and Arson Investigations Detective
• ATF Agent
• Firefighter
• Fire Marshal
• Building Inspector
• Insurance Company Consultant

Request more information.

Job Summary

Fire, Arson and Explosion investigators utilize skills and knowledge regarding chemistry, physics, and human behavior to determine the sequence of events and causation of fires and explosions. 

This program provides students a platform of requisite knowledge and skills to work competently as an individual and as a team member in efforts to determine cause and responsibility of fires and explosions. Students develop critical thinking skills to allow them to analyze and synthesize data derived from scientific investigative methodology in determining and communicating origin, cause, circumstances and responsibility of fires and explosions.

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates of the Fire, Arson and Explosion Investigation will be able to:  

1. Working alone and as a team member, document, analyze and evaluate artifact, patterns and observations from fire and explosion scenes to determine the sequence of events.
2. Document, analyze, evaluate and integrate information gleaned from investigation sources, including interviews and records, to determine responsibility for fire and explosion cause. They will effectively communicate their observations, evaluation methodologies, and findings both orally and in writing.
3. Evaluate and analyze circumstances that lead to fires and explosions with the intent to prevent future occurrences with similar conditions.
4. Integrate laws, statutes, codes and standards into investigative methodology.
5. Evaluate applicable investigative methodologies including, application of law, artifact interpretation, and scene documentation in preparing investigations for presentation in courts of law.
   

   ---

General Student Outcomes

Upon completion of the FAEI Program at EKU, students will demonstrate the following learned professional capabilities:

1. Students will demonstrate fundamental knowledge of investigative techniques and case management as it relates to fire, arson, and explosion scenes.
2. Students will be able to describe, analyze, and apply the National Fire Code Component NFPA 921 to the investigation of fire and explosion incidents.
3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the rules of evidence and the rules of criminal and civil litigation.
4. Students shall be able to apply the National fire codes in the analysis of fire and explosion incidents.
5. Students shall demonstrate the ability to document, analyze and collect evidence at fire and explosion scenes.
6. Students shall be able to produce technical reports and make logical presentations of investigations of fire and explosions investigations in an orderly fashion suitable for the civil and criminal court room settings.
7. Students shall be able to identify, document, and explain the origin (epicenter) of fires and explosions using the appropriate methodology….
8. Analyze and evaluate artifacts, patterns and observations from fire and explosion scenes to determine the sequence of events.
9. Analyze, evaluate and integrate information gleaned from investigation sources, including interviews and records, to determine responsibility for fire and explosion cause.
10. Evaluate and analyze circumstances that lead to fires and explosions with the intent to prevent future occurrences with similar conditions.
11. Integrate laws, statutes, codes and standards into investigative methodology.
12. Evaluate applicable investigative methodologies including, application of law, artifact interpretation, and scene documentation in preparing investigations for presentation in courts of law