New Kaplan Articulation Reduces Helps California Firefighters

Kaplan University, a leader in higher education innovation, today announced an articulation of the California State Fire Marshal’s training certifications, allowing the state’s firefighters to convert their training into college credits toward a degree in Fire Science. After closely evaluating 29 of the state’s training certifications, Kaplan’s College of Public Service will apply articulated credit to the associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs in Fire Science and Emergency Management through its School of Public Safety. The articulated fire training certifications include Fire Fighter I and II, Fire Officer, Fire Instructor I, II, and III, Public Education Officer I and others.

"We are very excited about this win-win solution, which benefits firefighters who have earned certifications through the California State Fire Marshal system," said Mike Brackin, dean of the School of Public Safety at Kaplan University. "By awarding credit towards our degrees where the course outcomes are in alignment with our curriculum, we are able to potentially decrease the total time for degree completion which saves students time and money."

As the first and only one its kind in California, the new fire training articulation was implemented to help provide the state’s firefighting professionals with a more efficient and cost-effective path to earning a degree. Once enrolled, eligible firefighters can satisfy up to 50 percent of required coursework with previously completed training and, when combined with existing college studies, earn a bachelor’s degree in Fire Science through Kaplan within one to two years.