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Forest Firefighting & Investigation

Types of Degrees Forest Firefighting & Investigation Majors Are Earning

Those studying Forest Firefighting & Investigation may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	16
Associate’s Degree	42
Master’s Degree	17

What Forest Firefighting & Investigation Majors Need to Know

Programs in Forest Firefighting & Investigation develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Forest Firefighting & Investigation graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Forest Firefighting & Investigation emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Forest Firefighting & Investigation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Forest Firefighting & Investigation careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Forest Firefighting & Investigation graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment	4.4 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	4.4 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Forest Firefighting & Investigation professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Fire incident reporting systems	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft SQL Server	Data base management system software	—
Salesforce software	Customer relationship management CRM software	—
Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP	Web platform development software	—
Microsoft Windows Server	Application server software	—
Ansible software	Expert system software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Forest Firefighting & Investigation graduates include:

• Wildland Firefighter
• Fire Management Officer
• Fire Warden
• Look Out Tower Fire Watcher
• Forest Fire Officer
• Fire Management Technician
• Fire Operations Forester
• District Ranger
• Forestry Patrolman
• Fire Tower Keeper
• Range Examiner
• Wildfire Prevention Specialist
• Wildland Fire Operations Specialist
• Fire Range Technician
• Fire Prevention Officer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Forest Firefighting & Investigation graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	33.0%
Some college courses	18.1%
Bachelor’s degree	16.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	14.5%
Postsecondary certificate	13.8%
Less than a high school diploma	2.9%
First professional degree	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Forest Firefighting & Investigation?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 77.3% of Forest Firefighting & Investigation degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	20	22.7%
Men	68	77.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Forest Firefighting & Investigation graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	45	51.1%
Asian	1	1.1%
Hispanic or Latino	34	38.6%
Black or African American	1	1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	1.1%
Two or More Races	3	3.4%
Race Unknown	3	3.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Forest Firefighting & Investigation Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Forest Firefighting & Investigation graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 Forest Firefighting & Investigation Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Forest Firefighting & Investigation. 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	1	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 Forest Firefighting & Investigation Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Forest Firefighting & Investigation 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 Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician	43.0201
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

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.