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Fire Protection

Types of Degrees Fire Protection Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Fire Protection may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1,169
Associate’s Degree	3,885
Bachelor’s Degree	1,749
Master’s Degree	7,488
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Fire Protection Majors Need to Know

Studies in Fire Protection build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Fire Protection graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Fire Protection emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Fire Protection program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Fire Protection careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Fire Protection graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.1 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Fire Protection professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Fire incident reporting systems	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Mapping software	Map creation software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Fire Protection graduates include:

• Fire Prevention Officer
• Wildland Firefighter
• Bomb Investigator
• Smoke Inspector
• Fire Extinguisher Inspector
• Fire and Explosion Investigator
• Fire Prevention Specialist
• Water-Based Fire Protection Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance Technician
• Fire Hazard Inspector
• Fire Protection Specialist
• Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator (CVFI)
• Fire Alarm Technician (Fire Alarm Tech)
• Fire Alarm Inspector
• Fire Equipment Inspector
• Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Fire Protection graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	23.3%
Bachelor’s degree	20.7%
Postsecondary certificate	16.8%
Some college courses	15.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	14.9%
Less than a high school diploma	3.7%
Master’s degree	2.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.3%
First professional degree	0.5%
Doctoral degree	0.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Fire Protection?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 88.6% of Fire Protection degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,728	11.4%
Men	13,474	88.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Fire Protection graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	9,430	62.0%
Asian	253	1.7%
Hispanic or Latino	3,403	22.4%
Black or African American	709	4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	104	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	61	0.4%
Two or More Races	548	3.6%
Race Unknown	645	4.2%
International Students	49	0.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Fire Protection Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Fire Protection graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$63,281
4 years	$64,817
5 years	$72,249

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $72,249 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Fire Protection Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Fire Protection. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	48	29
Bachelor’s	25	10
Master’s	4	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Fire Protection Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Fire Protection graduates earn a median of $64,817 four years after completion — roughly 71% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Protective Security Safety Services	43
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.01
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other	43.99
HOMELAND SECURITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIREFIGHTING AND RELATED PROTECTIVE SERVICES	43.00
Homeland Security	43.03
Security Science and Technology	43.04

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.