Fire Science

Types of Degrees Fire Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many fire science graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	5,576
Associate Degree	2,000
Undergraduate Certificate	569
Bachelor’s Degree	238
Master’s Degree	19
Graduate Certificate	12

What Fire Science Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to fire science were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Fire Science Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Fire Science Majors

When studying fire science, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Abilities for Fire Science Majors

As you progress with your fire science degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Fire Science Major?

People with a fire science degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Fire Inspectors	7.3%	$62,510
Fire Investigators	7.3%	$62,510
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists	29.4%	$39,600
Municipal Fire Fighting and Prevention Supervisors	7.1%	$76,330
Municipal Firefighters	7.2%	$49,620

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 81% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of fire science majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	3
Black or African American	4
Hispanic or Latino	29
White	172
International Students	2
Other Races/Ethnicities	28

Geographic Diversity

Fire Science appeals to people across the globe. About 0.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Fire Science

Some degrees associated with fire science may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to fire science have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	4.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	29.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	21.8%
Some College Courses	20.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	15.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	6.5%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.4%
Master’s Degree	0.7%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.0%

Online Fire Science Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	122	8
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	206	19
Bachelor’s Degree	1	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Fire Science

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to fire science.

Major	Number of Grads
Fire Prevention & Safety Technology/Technician	3,312
Fire Services Administration	1,431
Wildl&/Forest Firefighting & Investigation	150
Other Fire Protection	96
Fire/Arson Investigation & Prevention	69
Fire Systems Technology	61

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.