Fire Science/Fire-fighting Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Fire Science/Fire-fighting maps to BLS occupations averaging about $64,987, with roughly 1,596,050 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $3,992; common paths include Teachers, Postsecondary and Secondary School Teachers.
Key Statistics
Fire Science/Fire-fighting: what the data shows
Common questions about fire science/fire-fighting degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a fire science/fire-fighting degree?
A Fire Science/Fire-fighting program is classified under NCES CIP 43.0203 in the Fire Protection field family (43.02).
A program focusing on the theory and practice of fires and fire-fighting. Includes instruction in fire chemistry and physics, combustible materials, computer science, building construction, fire codes and related laws, fire hydraulics, fire command, fire prevention/inspection, fire protection systems, fire suppression systems, fire/arson investigation, occupational safety, equipment operation, emergency medicine and communications
IPEDS counted 261 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of fire science/fire-fighting degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 43.02 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician (CIP 43.0201)
- Fire Services Administration (CIP 43.0202)
- Fire Systems Technology (CIP 43.0204)
- Fire/Arson Investigation and Prevention (CIP 43.0205)
- Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation (CIP 43.0206)
How long does it take to get a fire science/fire-fighting degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 43.0203 in our file:
- 2,120 Associate (87.7% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 261 Bachelor's (10.8% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 16 Master's (0.7% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 19 Doctorate (0.8% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in fire science/fire-fighting?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a fire science/fire-fighting degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Fire Science/Fire-fighting to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Secondary School Teachers | 1,072,540 | $64,580 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a fire science/fire-fighting degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Fire Protection bachelor's program family: median debt $5,376, median earnings $86,436 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.08.
About 3.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $3,992 and median net price is $7,999.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Fire Science/Fire-fighting and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$3,992 Median In-State Public
$28,440 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Fire Science/Fire-fighting majors are, on average, $3,992 for in-state public colleges, and $28,440 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Fire Science/Fire-fighting programs.
Institutions awarding the most Fire Science/Fire-fighting degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia Southern University | AL | 613 |
| 2 | Shasta College | CA | 284 |
| 3 | Utah Valley University | UT | 255 |
| 4 | Palm Beach State College | FL | 218 |
| 5 | Miami Dade College | FL | 213 |
| 6 | Red Rocks Community College | CO | 190 |
| 7 | Lone Star College System | TX | 173 |
| 8 | Seminole State College of Florida | FL | 166 |
| 9 | East Los Angeles College | CA | 160 |
| 10 | First Coast Technical College | FL | 134 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
261 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Fire Science/Fire-fighting from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Fire Science/Fire-fighting.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 2 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 3 | Liberty University | VA | 50,012 |
| 4 | University of Maryland Global Campus | MD | 49,664 |
| 5 | Miami Dade College | FL | 46,182 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Fire Science/Fire-fighting programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 5 | Lake Tahoe Community College | CA | $1,131 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Fire Science/Fire-fighting programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 3 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 4 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 5 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Fire Science/Fire-fighting programs.
Graduation Rates
49.57% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
49.95% Average Graduation Rate
310 Institutions Reporting
34.92% - 62.72% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Fire Science/Fire-fighting programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Fire Science/Fire-fighting is in UT (96 completions). That state represents about 36.8% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is UT (0.09% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT | 96 | 36.8% | 0.09% |
| MA | 64 | 24.5% | 0.05% |
| FL | 43 | 16.5% | 0.02% |
| NJ | 16 | 6.1% | 0.02% |
| NY | 13 | 5.0% | 0.01% |
| MI | 12 | 4.6% | 0.01% |
| AL | 8 | 3.1% | 0.01% |
| ID | 7 | 2.7% | 0.03% |
| SC | 2 | 0.8% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 43.02 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician CIP 43.0201
- Fire Services Administration CIP 43.0202
- Fire Systems Technology CIP 43.0204
- Fire/Arson Investigation and Prevention CIP 43.0205
- Wildland/Forest Firefighting and Investigation CIP 43.0206
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 43.0203 in the survey year used in our extract (2,416 total across levels below).
- 2,120 Associate (87.7% of IPEDS total)
- 261 Bachelor's (10.8% of IPEDS total)
- 16 Master's (0.7% of IPEDS total)
- 19 Doctorate (0.8% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $64,987. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Fire Science/Fire-fighting graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | $36,511 | 1,500,000 |
| Secondary School Teachers | $104,813 | 1,072,540 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Fire Protection CIP family (1 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Fire Science/Fire-fighting graduate.
- $5,376 median federal loan debt among completers
- $86,436 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.08 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 3.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$40,621 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Fire Science/Fire-fighting majors is $40,621.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Fire Science/Fire-fighting majors.
Occupations by Share
1,596,050 2023 Workforce
The number of Fire Science/Fire-fighting graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Fire Science/Fire-fighting by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Fire Science/Fire-fighting in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Fire Science/Fire-fighting.
Age distribution for Fire Science/Fire-fighting degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
261 Total Degrees Awarded
213 Male (81.61%)
48 Female (18.39%)
Gender distribution of Fire Science/Fire-fighting degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
189 White (72.41%)
30 Hispanic or Latino (11.49%)
15 Black or African American (5.75%)
5 Asian (1.92%)
3 Two or More Races (1.15%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Fire Science/Fire-fighting degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Fire Science/Fire-fighting are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Fire Science/Fire-fighting.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Fire Science/Fire-fighting field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Fire Science/Fire-fighting majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Fire Science/Fire-fighting majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Fire Science/Fire-fighting majors.
About
A program focusing on the theory and practice of fires and fire-fighting. Includes instruction in fire chemistry and physics, combustible materials, computer science, building construction, fire codes and related laws, fire hydraulics, fire command, fire prevention/inspection, fire protection systems, fire suppression systems, fire/arson investigation, occupational safety, equipment operation, emergency medicine and communications
In 2023, 261 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Fire Science/Fire-fighting.
CIP Code
43.0203 - Fire Science/Fire-fighting
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $5,376 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $86,436, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.08. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Fire Science/Fire-fighting graduate.
Men earned 11.8% of 9,863 Fire Science/Fire-fighting completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $64,987. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teachers, Postsecondary (1,500,000 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $3,992 in-state at public colleges and $28,440 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.