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Hear instructor Lonnie Inzer and Training Chief Randy Callahan explain how this online fire and emergency management degree gives you the advanced training you need to become a skilled leader.
Personnel in fire and emergency services have a long and proud history of providing communities with a wide variety of fire protection, fire prevention, emergency medical, and emergency preparedness services. These organizations need capable leaders with advanced administrative training. If you are looking for an emergency management degree or fire administration degree to help take your career to the next level, this online bachelor's program will help you get there. Build upon your technical training and gain the education and skills you need to take on a wide variety of leadership roles.
A bachelor's degree in fire and emergency services administration can set you apart and increase your opportunities for promotions. Most high-level positions, including company officer, lieutenant, captain, district officer, battalion chief, deputy chief, and department chief officer, require a bachelor's degree at minimum. These positions require you to think critically and strategically. Earning your degree helps you develop a broad knowledge base that will aid your decision making in a variety of complex situations.
This online emergency and fire administration degree program challenges you to develop knowledge and abilities that will serve you in your career and in your life. By teaching you to effectively communicate, think critically, and lead strategically, it provides a broad spectrum of insight that sets you up for success regardless of where you are in your career — be it at the entry or senior level.
Through case studies and analysis, this program challenges you to effectively integrate academic knowledge into administrative and managerial roles, collaborate with peers to solve organizational problems, and apply your knowledge, skills, and competencies to fire and emergency service situations. Courses taught by experienced practitioners in the field help you develop skills that can be applied directly to your job. Improve your knowledge and skills in:
"The classes that are offered at Colorado State are completely applicable to day-to-day operations of the fire department. It's opened my eyes to theories and ideas of how local government works, how federal government works, and how fire service really works overall. This degree helps me become better at my career and my profession, and has allowed me to express myself in a way that I couldn't articulate before."
Watch these videos to hear more of what CSU's online students say about their learning experiences.
Professionals in this industry often require schedule flexibility. This online fire and emergency management degree program allows you to watch lectures and complete assignments at times that fit your busy life. Read more about how online learning works with CSU.
In addition to earning your fire and emergency services administration degree, you have the option to further specialize your knowledge with a degree minor. Choose from nine minors, including:
Did you know that to become a fire chief, you need to have a bachelor's degree? There are many other opportunities for career advancement and promotion for you after completing this program as well. The skills and expertise you acquire can be applied immediately to your job, and help you work toward a higher-level position.
You will gain the skills and knowledge you need to assume administrative, management, and leadership positions in a wide variety of fire protection, prevention, emergency medical, and emergency preparedness services. With an understanding of the evolving requirements of emergency services and a solid base in planning, evaluation, and oversight, you will be prepared to advance to management and administrative roles in the fire and emergency services as:
This degree completion program is beneficial to you if you have an interest in fire and emergency services and want to increase your opportunities for raises and promotions. You will receive a well-rounded background in emergency services, which can help you earn an administrative professional position within your fire or emergency services field.
Hear about our students' experiences with online learning, the skills they gained from the FESA program, and the opportunities for career advancement that came from earning a degree.
See how earning a degree allowed Ralph to follow in his father's footsteps, climbing the ranks in one of the busiest fire departments in the country.
"I gained a focused, structured view inside the fire service, with all its moving pieces including policy, legal, HR, budget, project management, communications, etc. Because of that, I now approach my job with a more holistic understanding of the necessary web of support offered by Fire Administration. I learned the value and importance of the other players throughout the organization. FESA is a great blend of solid instruction, interesting and beneficial coursework, amazing advisors, a school with an established pedigree, and one that wouldn’t break the bank as I worked toward my degree."
"I have a better understanding of how emergency services organizations function in a "big picture" sense. The FESA program provided me with a well-rounded education pertaining to emergency services management. I feel better prepared to take on new challenges and positions within my current job. The instructors are top-notch, the program is well organized, and the online degree route is flexible for full-time workers in emergency services."
"I am most proud of the fact that being a first-generation graduate student, I can now be a role model for my family to keep pursuing their dreams and goals, no matter how long it takes."
Caleb Connor is a Battalion Chief with Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue in Colorado with 22 years of fire service experience and an extensive background in fire service instruction, officer development, community risk reduction, and fire code education and enforcement. He has been an instructor since 2009 in the East Metro Fire Training Consortium’s I-70 Corridor Fire Academy, instructing courses in fire prevention/code enforcement, community risk reduction, fire suppression, and alarm systems, public education, and officer development. Caleb also serves on the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Certification Committee and is a State of Colorado Hazardous Materials instructor. Caleb has also been involved in local government as a member of the Town of Bennett, Colorado’s Board of Adjustment from 2020-2022.
Committed to professional development and learning, Caleb holds an A.A.S. in Fire Service Management, a B.S. in Fire and Emergency Services Administration (FESA) from Colorado State University and is a current Master of Public Administration candidate at the University of Colorado –Denver.
Holger Durre has 28 years of public safety experience and currently serves as the Fire Chief for the City of Prescott, Arizona. He began his career on a hospital-based ambulance service in Fort Collins while completing a Bachelors degree in Biological Sciences at Colorado State University. Upon graduation from CSU, he began his career in the fire service in 2000 at Poudre Fire Authority, ultimately promoting to the rank of Battalion Chief. In 2017, Chief Durre was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Boulder. In 2022, he assumed his current role with the City of Prescott.
Throughout his career, he has served in all major operational and administrative roles in the fire service. This includes operations, fire prevention, training, planning and analysis, and budget administration. Chief Durre has an extensive background in continuous improvement in local government and has conducted several applied research projects on this topic. He consults in the area of strategic planning and serves as a team lead for the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). Chief Durre has a passion for promoting mental wellness and resiliency for public safety personnel through his role as the Operations Advisor for the All Clear Foundation.
In addition to his Bachelor's degree, Chief Durre holds a Master's of Public Administration from Indiana State University and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program. He is a credentialed Chief Fire Officer with CPSE and is a lifelong leaner. One of the most rewarding sources of that learning are the students in the Fire Service Administration program. He is passionate about ensuring that his courses are taught in a manner to allow students to apply their learning in the current or future career endeavors.
Larry Grosse, Ph.D., began his fire service career as the organizer and manager of five volunteer fire departments for the Texas Youth Council facilities. During his tenure as the Chief of Construction for the Texas Youth Council, he was certified as an Advanced Fire Prevention Inspector by the Texas Commission on Fire Prevention Personnel Standards and Education. After completing a bachelor's degree in architecture, he became licensed by the State of Texas as an architect. He returned to school and completed a Master of Science degree in construction management and a Ph.D. in urban and regional science, from Texas A&M University. His dissertation: Fault Tree Analysis of the High-Rise Hotel Fire Refuge Concept, was the catalyst to his research focus on smoke movement and detection. He led a research team at Texas A&M University that helped define the updated smoke detector requirements for residential occupancy. Dr. Grosse was an invited member of the National Smoke Detector Project sponsored by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. He has authored, co-authored, and contributed chapters to eight books that relate to fire-safe building design and smoke movement and detection, in addition to contributing to a number of peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Grosse served as a charter member of the National Fire Academy adjunct faculty, where he worked on a team that developed three courses offered by the National Fire Academy. In his role as an NFA adjunct faculty member, he taught the courses to fire personnel in 38 states.
For 15 years, he served as a professor and department head for the Department of Construction Science at Texas A&M University, then 12 years as a professor and department head of the Department of Construction Management at Colorado State University. In this role, he created the Fire and Emergency Services Administration online degree program at Colorado State University. Since his retirement from CSU, he has continued to teach and serve as a program coordinator for the FESA program.
Lonnie Inzer is privileged to have worked in emergency services as an emergency manager, public safety college educator, firefighter, and park ranger over the last forty-six years. He retired in 2023 as the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management Deputy Chief and El Paso County Emergency Manager. He has been a college instructor, professor, department chair, and division dean over the last thirty-six years, having retired as a professor emeritus for Fire Science and Emergency Management from Pikes Peak State College. Lonnie is a retired Colorado Springs FD Fire Captain having worked in the fire service for twenty-two years. He has a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Fort Hays State University in Kansas, and a B.S. from the Forestry and Natural Resources College at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He started college at CSU in 1976. Lonnie is a Certified Emergency Manager (IAEM) and has attained many FEMA and NFPA certifications. He has been teaching at CSU in the FESA program since 2008.
John Roper graduated from the Fire & Emergency Service Administration degree, and is excited to give back to the very program that assisted in propelling his career. After the FESA program, John attended CSU Global for his masters in Organizational Leadership with emphasis in Human Resource Management. He then attended Grand Canyon University to obtain a Doctorate in Education in Organizational Leadership with Emphasis in Organizational Development. John’s research focuses are on Firefighter health and wellness. Professionally, he works for Mountain View Fire Rescue located in Boulder/Weld counties north of Denver as a Lieutenant (company officer).
Stephen E. Sears transferred to the Forsyth County Fire Department in September 2018 for professional developmental and personal growth in seeking the full time Fire/EMS training position. He serves the department as a Georgia Level III Paramedic Instructor/Coordinator for the Emergency Medical Technicians in-house recruit program and hosts courses offered through the National Board on Fire Services Professional Qualifications, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council. Sears also holds multiple instructor certifications with the American Heart Association to include Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.
Prior to serving as a training instructor, Sears served as a Sergeant/Apparatus Operator in Hall County Fire Services since 2007 and completed certifications for Firefighter I & II, Airport Firefighter, Apparatus Operator: Pumper, Aerial, ARFF, Tiller, & Mobile Water Supply, Hazardous Materials: Awareness, Operations, Technician, & Incident Commander, Fire Instructor I-III, and Fire Officer I-V. Sears is currently in training for Fire Investigator and Fire Inspector I-III all to be completed March 25, 2022. He is also already registered for Plan Examiner I for April 2022.
David Wolf currently serves the City of Golden Fire Department as a shift Battalion Chief and oversees the agency’s Training & Special Operations programs. He has nearly 25 years of emergency services experience, including responses to wide-spread flooding in Houston TX and wildfires in Colorado. He served as the Fire Chief for Estes Valley for seven years, including during Cameron Peak, East Troublesome, and Kruger Mountain Fires. He is a graduate of the FEMA Emergency Management Basic Academy, and has his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Geology.
He has been active in the Colorado State Fire Chiefs since arriving in the state, including time as chair of the Volunteer & Combination Section (2019-2023), and chair of the Wildland Section (2023-present), where he has focused on improving statewide mutual aid, statewide capacity building, and enhancing prescribed fire capabilities and opportunities. He is also active with the International Association of Fire Chiefs Wildland Program as a wildland fire subject matter expert, developing and delivering the course “Evacuation Management for Law & Fire Service Leaders” and as a facilitator for the Fire Department Exchange Program. He has been teaching for the CSU Fire & Emergency Services Administration program since 2022.
Yes, a working knowledge of fire and emergency services provides an important base for understanding terminology and concepts utilized in course content. Most students in this program have an EMT certificate and/or have completed fire academy. A fair amount have been a first responder for many years before coming to our program and continue in their jobs while working on their FESA degree.
The amount of time you will spend weekly depends on the amount of coursework you commit to each semester as well as your learning and studying style. Although this degree offers flexibility, it still requires the same amount of work and time as an on-campus program. It is recommended to spend nine to twelve hours per week on a three-credit course.
Yes, individuals need to have college-level credits completed to be eligible to apply to this program. It is recommended to have an Associate's degree in Fire Science Technology completed prior to joining this bachelor's degree program. However, individuals can still be admitted who meet the previous/current military or work requirement and have some college-level transfer coursework (even if they have not completed an entire Associate's degree).
The length to graduation depends on how many transfer credits are brought in by a student and how many classes a student wants to take each semester. Since most of our students are working professionals, they generally take only one to two courses a semester. With the addition of transfer credits, most students can graduate in three to four years.
Yes, you will earn the same CSU diploma that an on-campus student earns. It will not say that the degree was online or distance.
Your interactions with the faculty depend on the specific course, but online courses do provide you with online office hours and email contact information as well as discussion board postings. You also collaborate on projects and exchange ideas with fellow classmates through email and discussion board postings.
A minimum of 120 credits are required to complete this degree. This includes:
The number of courses needed for completion of the program depends on:
CSU's composition requirement should be met in your first semester after admission. Transfer students must satisfy CSU's admission requirement in mathematics.
You must take the 11 core FESA courses for a total of 37 credits. The remainder of the credits needed for graduation can be satisfied with transfer coursework and electives in accordance with the credit totals described in the program requirements and departmental and university policies.
You are encouraged to design a program of study choosing electives that complement your professional interest areas and career status. Elective seminar (FESA 492) and independent study (FESA 495) opportunities are provided to allow you to apply professional experience to learning activities.
The curriculum listed below is intended to inform prospective students about the overall theme of the program and should not be used as an example program of study. Students need to consult their advisor to develop a degree completion plan based on the credits transferred into this program. You have the option to use the TransferologyTM website to conduct a self-review of your potential transfer courses. This tool will assist you in seeing how your previous college coursework may transfer to CSU.
(non-selected FESA courses can be taken toward the total elective total)
The Bachelor of Science in Fire and Emergency Services Administration will prepare you for managerial positions. Coursework builds upon your technical training and provides you with knowledge in emergency services management, personnel administration, finance, and program development and evaluation. Prior experience in fire and emergency services is strongly recommended.
This online bachelor's degree completion program permits you to take the required courses in the order that best suits your needs. You have the flexibility to get the degree you want without a strict timeline or schedule of completing the curriculum. While the degree can be completed in two years, most students in this degree program require three to four years, taking an average of two courses per semester. Although this degree offers flexibility, it still requires the same amount of work and time as an on-campus program. It is recommended to spend nine to twelve hours per week on a three-credit course. This will vary depending on your learning and studying style.
Your interaction with faculty and fellow students depends on the specific course, but the online courses do provide you with online office hours and email contact as well as discussion board postings.
This self-paced online program allows you to earn your degree while maintaining your busy work and family schedules. Is online learning right for you?
Broaden your degree by adding a minor that deepens your interests and builds valuable, career-ready skills. A minor helps you explore new ideas, gain focused expertise, and strengthen your education without significantly changing your degree plan. Many courses can count toward both your major and minor, including courses you’ve already completed, as long as all requirements are finished before graduation.
| Fall semester | June 1 |
| Spring semester | November 1 |
| Summer semester | May 1 |
Start your application online and upload materials directly into the online system. You can save your progress and return any time.
Apply NowPlanning to transfer credits from another college or university? Please review our FAQ page, then complete a Tentative Transfer Evaluation Form to see how your prior credits may transfer.
Refer to admissions.colostate.edu/apply/ for details about who we look for in our individual review process
Call or email our student success team to find out if the program is a good fit for your goals. Our coaches are available Monday-Friday to help you find the right program and navigate the application process.
Student Success Coach: Terrance Dickens
Phone: (970) 698-7337
Email: terrance.dickens@colostate.edu
Complete Colorado State University's online undergraduate application and pay any associated nonrefundable application processing fee (payable online) or waiver (if eligible).
Online applications must be submitted before 5 p.m. (Mountain Time) on the deadline date. If you miss the application deadline, you may still register for courses to begin your program of study as a non-degree student. Students seeking Federal financial aid must be admitted prior to enrolling.
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Use FAFSA code 001350. Additional financial aid information is also available.
View your application status at any time to ensure your application checklist is complete or to check on updates.
Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis and may take up to six weeks during high volume application periods.
Questions? Call (970) 698-7337 or email terrance.dickens@colostate.edu.
We love learning about your goals and answering any questions you have.
