Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation
Types of Degrees Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many wildl&/forest firefighting & investigation graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Basic Certificate | 88 |
Associate Degree | 52 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 10 |
What Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to wildland/forest firefighting and investigation 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 Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation 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.
- Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- 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.
Skills for Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation Majors
wildland/forest firefighting and investigation majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- 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.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Abilities for Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation Majors
As a wildland/forest firefighting and investigation major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:
- 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.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
What Can You Do With a Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with wildland/forest firefighting and investigation:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists | 29.4% | $39,600 |
Forest Firefighters | 7.2% | $49,620 |
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation
Some degrees associated with wildland/forest firefighting and investigation 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.
Find out what the typical degree level is for wildland/forest firefighting and investigation careers below.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 8.3% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 43.8% |
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) | 5.4% |
Some College Courses | 10.2% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 10.4% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 14.0% |
Doctoral Degree | 7.9% |
Online Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation 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) | 7 | 1 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 0 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 13 | 2 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Master’s | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Explore Major by State
Alabama
California
District of Columbia
Idaho
Kansas
Maryland
Mississippi
Nevada
New York
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Utah
West Virginia
Alaska
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Missouri
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Oregon
South Dakota
Vermont
Wisconsin
Majors Related to Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to wildland/forest firefighting and investigation.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Fire Science | 8,414 |
Fire Prevention & Safety Technology/Technician | 3,312 |
Fire Services Administration | 1,431 |
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.