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Fire Prevention & Safety

Types of Degrees Fire Prevention & Safety Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Fire Prevention & Safety can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	403
Associate’s Degree	1,568
Bachelor’s Degree	40
Master’s Degree	1,315

What Fire Prevention & Safety Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Fire Prevention & Safety emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Building and Construction — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Fire Prevention & Safety program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Fire Prevention & Safety graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.5 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Fire Prevention & Safety professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation 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 Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Fire Dynamics Software FDS	Analytical or scientific software	—
National Fire Incident Reporting System NFIRS	Data base user interface and query software	—
Xerox Government systems FIREHOUSE Software	Human resources software	—
Code database software	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Fire Prevention & Safety graduates include:

• Fire Prevention Officer
• Fire Marshall
• Fire Sprinkler Foreman
• Alarm Sprinkler Inspector
• Fire Alarm and Fire Sprinkler Inspector
• Bomb Investigator
• Smoke Inspector
• Inspector
• Fire Alarm Systems Technician (Fire Alarm Systems Tech)
• Fire Investigator
• Sprinkler Inspector
• Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator (CVFI)
• Fire Extinguisher Sprinkler Inspector
• Fire Safety Inspector
• Fire Code Inspector

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	27.6%
Postsecondary certificate	25.1%
Some college courses	21.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.1%
Less than a high school diploma	6.9%
Bachelor’s degree	2.7%
Master’s degree	1.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.9%
First professional degree	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Fire Prevention & Safety?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 89.3% of Fire Prevention & Safety degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	357	10.7%
Men	2,993	89.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,564	46.7%
Asian	90	2.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1,306	39.0%
Black or African American	128	3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	19	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	12	0.4%
Two or More Races	135	4.0%
Race Unknown	90	2.7%
International Students	6	0.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Fire Prevention & Safety Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Fire Prevention & Safety 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 Prevention & Safety Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Fire Prevention & Safety. 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	17	15

^{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 Prevention & Safety Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Fire Prevention & Safety 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
Fire Protection	43.02
Fire Protection, Other	43.0299
Fire Science/Fire-fighting	43.0203
Fire Services Administration	43.0202
Fire Systems Technology	43.0204
Fire/Arson Investigation and Prevention	43.0205
Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation	43.0206

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.