Fire Protection Technology

The Texas Commission on Fire Protection demands that a firefighter be trained and certified prior to being hired or allowed to perform the duties of a firefighter. With that in mind, the following are the entrance requirements of Midland College including those of the Commission:

· Have a high school diploma or a GED equivalent.
· Be 18 years of age.
· Have a good criminal history without any Class C misdemeanors, or felony convictions.
· File an application with the program director
· Take the NET test and score "50" or better on the test. Obviously the higher the score the better the chances of getting in.
· Have at least a 12th-grade reading ability and math skills.
· Be of good health and have a positive "can do" attitude.

Each student must pass the previous course to remain in the program, and must be able to complete the program in one session starting in August and finishing in May. The student must be in reasonable physical fitness and have the ability to perform the necessary physical skills without injury.

There are not any prerequisites for entrance to the program. However, there is a strong recommendation to have the Basic EMT course completed and be certified. This only speeds up the student's employment availability. The student must have the certification within 12 months of completing the basic firefighter course.

There are seven courses in the curriculum that equal 27 hours of college credit to be applied to the degree plan. These 27 hours follow the Texas Commission on Fire Protection's required curriculum. In order to complete the required 33 hours of classes required for a major, there is an additional six (6) hours of fire administration courses.

There is the requirement of 15 educational core hours, nine of which are mandatory and six are electives. There must be nine hours in the following areas: Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA), Social and Behavior Sciences (SBS), and Math and Natural Sciences (MNS). Initially each of the three areas require a minimum of 3 hours each, and then the remaining 6 hours can be from any of the three areas.