DegreeVerdict
ROI Calculator
Home›Majors›Fire Protection
UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Fire Protection worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 38 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$61,737 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$61,737Median year-4 earnings
$7,009Average institution net-price context
$9,557Median federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$61,737Typical earnings four years after completion
$58,230Average earnings five years after completion
$9,557Typical federal student debt
73thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
528Degrees awarded in 2024–25
37College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 29 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Fire Protection

How much do Fire Protection undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?

The national median is $61,737 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $9,557. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Fire Protection?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $56,042 to $68,944 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Fire Protection?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

CURRENT VIEW

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$61,737
Federal debt
$9,557
Programs in the comparison
38
37 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$73,375
Federal debt
$11,250
Programs in the comparison
27
26 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$87,428
Federal debt
$22,723
Programs in the comparison
21
19 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$74,656
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$54,917
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
3
3 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$56,042National median$61,73775th percentile$68,944
37 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$68,94475th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$9,557Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Southwestern Illinois College

$82,343 four years after completionBelleville, IL · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Indian River State College

$5,500 among completer borrowersFort Pierce, FL · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

North Central Texas College

102 reported awards in 2024–25Gainesville, TX · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$77,923Observed year-4 earnings$55,733
$2,878Annual college-wide average net price$12,045
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Southwestern Illinois College$82,3432Fresno City College$81,9403Moreno Valley College$77,9234Aims Community College$77,1275Florida State College at Jacksonville$72,8236Sinclair Community College$70,1947Shasta College$70,1198St Petersburg College$69,8649Hillsborough College$69,09010Santa Ana College$68,944

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$93,530 median wage99,140 jobs nationwide+3.7% projected growth through 2035 · 6,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$53,430–$140,010 typical wage rangeFirefighters$59,280 median wage345,990 jobs nationwide+3.7% projected growth through 2035 · 26,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$34,910–$101,040 typical wage rangeFire Inspectors and Investigators$75,920 median wage13,800 jobs nationwide+4.2% projected growth through 2035 · 1,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$46,530–$118,750 typical wage rangeForest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists$56,870 median wage2,780 jobs nationwide+13.1% projected growth through 2035 · 400 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$35,420–$105,460 typical wage rangeManagers, All Other$141,900 median wage622,190 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 100,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$74,300–$238,270 typical wage rangeCareer/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary$63,820 median wage114,110 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 8,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$41,960–$108,620 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Criminal Justice and Corrections

Year-4 earnings
$56,070
Federal debt
$14,063
187 reporting programs →Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Homeland Security

Year-4 earnings
$61,324
Federal debt
$20,843
6 reporting programs →Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Security Science and Technology

Year-4 earnings
$64,856
Federal debt
$29,333
5 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

FL9 programs$64,722 average earningsTX8 programs$58,245 average earningsCA6 programs$70,021 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.