Best institutions to study Fire Protection
Compare 397 U.S. colleges offering Fire Protection by graduate earnings, cost, and outcomes. Federal data across 48 states.
Fire Protection programs report a median of $49,810 one year after graduation (College Scorecard, 2024), and map to CIP 43.02 and the Fire Inspectors and Investigators occupation (BLS SOC).
About Fire Protection programs
The Fire Protection program focuses on equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed in the field of homeland security, law enforcement, and firefighting. This program is ideal for individuals interested in preventing and responding to fire-related emergencies, as well as those looking to pursue careers in fire safety and protection services.
Students in the Fire Protection program will develop core skills such as active listening, critical thinking, and effective communication. Coursework covers essential knowledge areas including public safety, building construction, and fire systems technology, preparing graduates for various roles within the industry.
Top 50 institutions, ranked by graduate earnings
Earnings = median 1 year after graduation (College Scorecard, predominant credential).
| # | Institution | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Completions | Grad rate | Net price | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · Bachelor's degree | $104,017 | 57 | 62% | — | $17,725 |
| 2 | Waldorf University Forest City, IA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $97,731 | 47 | 21% | $22,328 | $21,783 |
| 3 | Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH Public · Associate degree | $91,944 | 13 | 16% | — | $6,125 |
| 4 | North Shore Community College Danvers, MA Public · Associate degree | $90,948 | 38 | 18% | — | $10,192 |
| 5 | Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN Public · Bachelor's degree | $89,622 | 112 | 50% | — | $29,636 |
| 6 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · Bachelor's degree | $86,740 | 70 | 91% | — | $12,296 |
| 7 | University of Florida - Online Gainesville, FL Public · Bachelor's degree | $86,740 | 46 | 85% | — | $12,296 |
| 8 | Anna Maria College Paxton, MA Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $81,637 | 50 | 46% | $29,422 | $22,875 |
| 9 | Southwestern Illinois College Belleville, IL Public · Certificate degree | $77,935 | 94 | 36% | — | $12,750 |
| 10 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK Public · Bachelor's degree | $75,503 | 21 | 68% | — | $26,500 |
| 11 | Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, AL Private for-profit · Associate degree | $75,326 | 2,027 | 33% | $15,554 | $10,500 |
| 12 | American Public University System Charles Town, WV Private for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $73,302 | 115 | 57% | $10,199 | $19,434 |
| 13 | Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC Public · Bachelor's degree | $67,586 | 27 | 38% | — | $15,777 |
| 14 | Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY Public · Bachelor's degree | $66,617 | 55 | 50% | — | $27,000 |
| 15 | Utah Valley University Orem, UT Public · Bachelor's degree | $60,522 | 34 | 45% | — | $10,370 |
| 16 | Eastern Oregon University La Grande, OR Public · Bachelor's degree | $58,911 | 36 | 43% | — | $25,000 |
| 17 | College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL Public · Associate degree | $58,160 | 18 | 25% | — | — |
| 18 | University of New Haven West Haven, CT Private not-for-profit · Bachelor's degree | $57,392 | 37 | 63% | $32,614 | $26,375 |
| 19 | St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL Public · Certificate degree | $55,829 | 89 | 38% | — | $9,557 |
| 20 | Lamar Institute of Technology Beaumont, TX Public · Certificate degree | $55,778 | 34 | 31% | — | — |
| 21 | New Jersey City University Jersey City, NJ Public · Bachelor's degree | $54,600 | 25 | 34% | — | $26,000 |
| 22 | Northwest Florida State College Niceville, FL Public · Certificate degree | $52,856 | 26 | 39% | — | — |
| 23 | Hutchinson Community College Hutchinson, KS Public · Associate degree | $51,007 | 131 | 53% | — | — |
| 24 | Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA Public · Certificate degree | $50,364 | 69 | 30% | — | — |
| 25 | Hillsborough College Tampa, FL Public · Certificate degree | $50,331 | 88 | 34% | — | $14,735 |
| 26 | Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL Public · Certificate degree | $49,810 | 146 | 37% | — | — |
| 27 | University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH Public · Bachelor's degree | $49,582 | 17 | 52% | — | $25,750 |
| 28 | Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City Kansas City, MO Public · Certificate degree | $48,321 | 44 | 34% | — | $8,750 |
| 29 | California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · Bachelor's degree | $48,289 | 36 | 53% | — | $11,750 |
| 30 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY Public · Bachelor's degree | $48,121 | 31 | 56% | — | $16,500 |
| 31 | McLennan Community College Waco, TX Public · Certificate degree | $47,467 | 49 | 39% | — | $5,500 |
| 32 | Butler Technology and Career Development Schools Monroe, OH Public · Certificate degree | $47,379 | 49 | 76% | — | $6,607 |
| 33 | Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL Public · Certificate degree | $47,206 | 84 | 45% | — | $5,500 |
| 34 | Austin Community College District Austin, TX Public · Certificate degree | $47,024 | 212 | 20% | — | $11,375 |
| 35 | Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL Public · Certificate degree | $46,698 | 91 | 41% | — | $18,971 |
| 36 | Santa Ana College Santa Ana, CA Public · Certificate degree | $46,660 | 509 | 31% | — | $15,000 |
| 37 | Valencia College Orlando, FL Public · Associate degree | $45,657 | 205 | 48% | — | $8,000 |
| 38 | Aims Community College Greeley, CO Public · Certificate degree | $44,470 | 62 | 40% | — | $9,750 |
| 39 | Oakland Community College Auburn Hills, MI Public · Certificate degree | $44,178 | 34 | 21% | — | — |
| 40 | Daytona State College Daytona Beach, FL Public · Certificate degree | $42,696 | 79 | 43% | — | $6,945 |
| 41 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · Bachelor's degree | $41,432 | 15 | 45% | — | $22,723 |
| 42 | Great Oaks Career Campuses Cincinnati, OH Public · Certificate degree | $41,349 | 38 | 90% | — | $8,000 |
| 43 | George Stone Technical College Pensacola, FL Public · Certificate degree | $39,560 | 22 | 36% | — | — |
| 44 | Houston City College Houston, TX Public · Certificate degree | $39,283 | 123 | 17% | — | — |
| 45 | Vincennes University Vincennes, IN Public · Associate degree | $38,326 | 10 | 39% | — | $12,000 |
| 46 | Honolulu Community College Honolulu, HI Public · Associate degree | $37,817 | 41 | 25% | — | — |
| 47 | Onondaga Community College Syracuse, NY Public · Associate degree | $37,705 | 11 | 27% | — | — |
| 48 | Marion Technical College Ocala, FL Public · Certificate degree | $37,678 | 76 | 80% | — | — |
| 49 | Pima Community College Tucson, AZ Public · Certificate degree | $35,059 | 58 | 28% | — | — |
| 50 | Lake Technical College Eustis, FL Public · Certificate degree | $33,942 | 72 | 47% | — | — |
Offered across 48 states & territories
The same program, compared state by state. Pick a state for in-state earnings and institutions.
Careers & outlook
The payoff after graduation: occupation 33-2021, Fire Inspectors and Investigators, and its national outlook.
Graduates of the Fire Protection program can expect a career outlook that is about as fast as average, with an annual opening of approximately 1,500 positions. The median wage for professionals in this field is around $78,060, typically requiring a postsecondary nondegree award for entry-level positions.
Top-paying metros
Related careers
CIP-to-SOC crosswalk for Fire Protection
The SOC occupations NCES officially maps to CIP 43.02.
Under the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, CIP 43.02 (Fire Protection) maps to 6 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) occupations, the jobs the U.S. Department of Labor links to this field of study.
| SOC code | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 11-9199 | Managers, All Other |
| 25-1194 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary |
| 33-1021 | First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers |
| 33-2011 | Firefighters |
| 33-2021 | Fire Inspectors and Investigatorsprimary |
| 33-2022 | Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk.
Skills & knowledge in Fire Protection programs
From the U.S. Dept. of Labor for the occupation this program most leads to.
Skills you'll build
Knowledge areas
What graduates do on the job
- Prepare and maintain reports of investigation results, and records of convicted arsonists and arson suspects.
- Testify in court cases involving fires, suspected arson, and false alarms.
- Package collected pieces of evidence in securely closed containers, such as bags, crates, or boxes, to protect them.
- Conduct inspections and acceptance testing of newly installed fire protection systems.
- Analyze evidence and other information to determine probable cause of fire or explosion.
- Photograph damage and evidence related to causes of fires or explosions to document investigation findings.
Concentrations within Fire Protection
Specializations under this field (NCES CIP 2020).
- Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/TechnicianCIP 43.0201
A program focusing on the application of fire science and technology to problems of reducing fire risk, limiting loss, supervising substance removal, conducting safety inspections and investigations,
- Fire Services AdministrationCIP 43.0202
A program focusing on the principles, theory, and practices associated with the management of fire operations, firefighting services, and community fire issues
- Fire Science/Fire-fightingCIP 43.0203
A program focusing on the theory and practice of fires and fire-fighting
- Fire Systems TechnologyCIP 43.0204
A program focusing on the principles and practice of firefighting systems, building construction and related resources as applied to fire prevention, control, and mitigation
- Fire/Arson Investigation and PreventionCIP 43.0205
A program focusing on the theory and principles of fire combustion and behavior applied to the analysis of fires and their causes
- Wildland/Forest Firefighting and InvestigationCIP 43.0206
A program focusing on the application of fire science, firefighting and investigation to the prevention, control and mitigation of wildland fires and the analysis of causes
- Fire Protection, OtherCIP 43.0299
Any instructional program in fire protection not listed above.
Common questions
What specializations are available in the Fire Protection program?+
Specializations include Fire Prevention and Safety Technology, Fire Services Administration, and Fire/Arson Investigation and Prevention.
What skills will I develop in this program?+
You will develop skills in active listening, critical thinking, and effective communication.
What is the job outlook for graduates?+
The job outlook is about as fast as average, with around 1,500 annual openings.
What level of education is typically required?+
Most positions require a postsecondary nondegree award.
How much do Fire Protection graduates earn?+
Fire Protection graduates report median earnings of $49,810 one year after graduation, per College Scorecard (2024); the Fire Inspectors and Investigators occupation pays about $78,670 on average nationally (BLS OEWS May 2025).
What is the CIP code for Fire Protection?+
Fire Protection maps to CIP 43.02 in the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), the U.S. Department of Education taxonomy used for College Scorecard Field of Study earnings and IPEDS completions.
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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