2023 Best Fire Protection Schools
Finding the Best Fire Protection School for You
Fire Protection is the #121 most popular major in the country with 13,766 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Fire Protection Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 201 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Fire Protection Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Fire Protection Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Fire Protection
Our analysis found Southern Illinois University Carbondale to be the best school for fire protection students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that fire protection majors at SIUC take out is $15,200.
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The excellent programs at North Shore Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best fire protection schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Danvers, North Shore Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Fire Protection majors at North Shore Community College take out an average of $7,559 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Columbia Southern University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Fire Protection Schools list. Located in the town of Orange Beach, Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Fire Protection majors at Columbia Southern University take out an average of $15,803 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a great place for fire protection students. Located in the city of Oshkosh, UW Oshkosh is a public school with a large student population.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a great place for fire protection students. Colorado State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fort Collins.
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Moreno Valley College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Fire Protection Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Moreno Valley, Moreno Valley College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
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University of Florida came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Fire Protection Schools ranking. UF is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Gainesville.
On average, fire protection graduates from UF take out $17,864 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Waldorf University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Fire Protection Schools list. Waldorf is a small private for-profit school located in the town of Forest City.
The average amount in student loans that fire protection majors at Waldorf take out is $18,078.
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Santa Ana College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Fire Protection Schools list. SAC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Santa Ana.
After completing their degree, fire protection graduates from SAC carry an average student debtload of $13,375.
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University of Florida-Online did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for fire protection students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF Online is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
On average, fire protection graduates from UF Online take out $17,864 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Madison Area Technical College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best fire protection programs. Located in the city of Madison, Madison College is a public school with a large student population.
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With a ranking of #12, Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well on this year’s best schools for fire protection students. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public school with a large student population.
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Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best fire protection programs. OSU is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Stillwater.
After completing their degree, fire protection graduates from OSU carry an average student debtload of $26,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $468.
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Schoolcraft College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for fire protection students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the small city of Livonia, Schoolcraft College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
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Middlesex Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Fire Protection Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Bedford, Middlesex Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
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Eastern Gateway Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Fire Protection Schools ranking. Located in the city of Steubenville, Eastern Gateway Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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Columbia College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Fire Protection Schools list. Columbia College South Carolina is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbia.
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Mid-State Technical College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Fire Protection Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Wisconsin Rapids, Mid-State is a public school with a small student population.
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Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for fire protection students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the town of Bowling Green, BGSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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With a ranking of #20, Fox Valley Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for fire protection students. FVTC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Appleton.
On average, fire protection graduates from FVTC take out $11,477 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Gateway Technical College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Fire Protection Schools list. Gateway Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Kenosha.
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Northland Community and Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for fire protection students. It came in at #22 on the list. Northland Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the remote town of Thief River Falls.
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Purdue University Global landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best fire protection programs. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, fire protection graduates from Purdue University Global carry an average student debtload of $28,650.
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Western Technical College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Fire Protection Schools ranking. Located in the small city of La Crosse, Western Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
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Macomb Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for fire protection students. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Warren, Macomb Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Fire Protection students that almost earned our Best Fire Protection Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Gardner - Webb University | Boiling Springs, NC |
| 32 | Fort Myers Technical College | Fort Myers, FL |
| 33 | Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 34 | Oakland Community College | Bloomfield Hills, MI |
| 35 | American Public University System | Charles Town, WV |
| 36 | Century College | White Bear Lake, MN |
| 37 | Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee, WI |
| 38 | Ivy Tech Community College | Indianapolis, IN |
| 39 | Northcentral Technical College | Wausau, WI |
| 40 | Red Rocks Community College | Lakewood, CO |
Fire Protection by Region
View the Best Fire Protection Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Fire Protection Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Fire Protection
One of 4 majors within the area of study, fire protection has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Fire Protection
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 113,121 |
| Homeland Security | 7,140 |
| Security Science and Technology | 6,888 |
| Other Homeland Security | 1,695 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.