# Fire Protection

> Fire Protection is a field of study in the Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services area.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/fire-protection
- CIP code: 43.02 (Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services)
- Colleges offering it: 387 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 323 | $53,223 | $62,176 | $5,500 |
| Associate's | 387 | $49,533 | $71,521 | $9,875 |
| Bachelor's | 43 | $68,504 | $80,497 | $22,896 |
| Master's | 9 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 5 | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [Anna Maria College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/anna-maria-college-82) | Paxton, MA | $110,044 | $25,000 |
| [Southern Illinois University-Carbondale](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southern-illinois-university-carbondale-2495) | Carbondale, IL | $108,135 | not reported |
| [Waldorf University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/waldorf-university-3151) | Forest City, IA | $100,060 | $20,251 |
| [Utah Valley University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/utah-valley-university-3103) | Orem, UT | $83,807 | $18,938 |
| [Eastern Kentucky University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/eastern-kentucky-university-866) | Richmond, KY | $80,497 | $26,769 |
| [University of New Haven](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-new-haven-2981) | West Haven, CT | $79,199 | $25,500 |
| [Fayetteville State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/fayetteville-state-university-944) | Fayetteville, NC | $73,969 | not reported |
| [CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-john-jay-college-of-criminal-justice-740) | New York, NY | $72,228 | not reported |
| [New Jersey City University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/new-jersey-city-university-1847) | Jersey City, NJ | $69,444 | not reported |
| [Western Illinois University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/western-illinois-university-3228) | Macomb, IL | $68,753 | not reported |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/brownfield-redevelopment-specialists-and-site-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Compliance Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/compliance-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Loss Prevention Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/loss-prevention-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Managers, All Other](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/managers-all-other): $141,900 median pay
- [Regulatory Affairs Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/regulatory-affairs-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Wind Energy Development Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wind-energy-development-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Wind Energy Operations Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wind-energy-operations-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-firefighting-and-prevention-workers): $93,530 median pay
- [Fire Inspectors and Investigators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/fire-inspectors-and-investigators): $75,920 median pay
- [Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/career-technical-education-teachers-postsecondary): $63,820 median pay
- [Firefighters](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/firefighters): $59,280 median pay
- [Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/forest-fire-inspectors-and-prevention-specialists): $56,870 median pay

## More in Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services

- [Criminal Justice and Corrections](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/criminal-justice-and-corrections): 1,048 colleges
- [Security Science and Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/security-science-and-technology): 197 colleges
- [Homeland Security](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/homeland-security): 134 colleges
- [Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/homeland-security-law-enforcement-firefighting-and-related-protective-services-other): 42 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/