Update Letter to Existing Students
Dear Fire Science Technology Students,
On behalf of Polk State College, I am writing to inform you of changes to the Fire Science Technology AS Degree Program effective fall semester 2014.
On November 18, 2013, the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards and Training implemented changes to the Fire Officer I and II curricula that significantly reduced the number of credits aligned to each certification. As a result, the college program had to be revised to maintain the integrity of the program. As with any challenge, we embrace this as an opportunity to improve the program. We believe the resulting changes provide significantly more options to students while maintaining the articulation of credits from the recognized Florida Bureau certifications. All changes reflect input from the Polk State Fire Science Advisory Committee (comprised primarily of local fire chiefs), fire training officers, and current fire science students.
Program revisions include:
Limited negative impact for our current Fire Science students
- Flexibility to use either version of the Fire Officer I Certification
- Option for a student without a Firefighter I Certificate to earn a Fire Science degree
- More than twice the options previously offered
- Additional elective courses (up to 12 credits of the 42 program credits)
- Additional options in computer technology and professional communications courses
Click below to view new curriculum changes
Revised Curriculum Effective Fall 2014
The attached document outlines the revisions to the Fire Science Technology AS Degree Program. Flexibility adds complexity, so the documents may be confusing at first glance. As the Fire Science Coordinator, I would like to meet with each Fire Science student to help him/her select the best options for his/her educational and career goals. Please call or email me to set up an appointment at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Jim Davis, M.A.
Fire Science Coordinator
Cell phone 863.781.2768
jdavis@polk.edu
