Fire Investigation & Prevention

Types of Degrees Fire Investigation & Prevention Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many fire/arson investigation & prevention graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	50
Associate Degree	6
Undergraduate Certificate	4

What Fire Investigation & Prevention Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to fire/arson investigation and prevention and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Fire/Arson Investigation and Prevention Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in fire/arson investigation and prevention should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Fire/Arson Investigation and Prevention Majors

fire/arson investigation and prevention majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Fire/Arson Investigation and Prevention Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a fire/arson investigation and prevention student include the following:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Fire Investigation & Prevention Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with fire/arson investigation and prevention:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Fire Investigators	7.3%	$62,510

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Fire Investigation & Prevention?

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of fire/arson investigation and prevention majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	5
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

How Much Do Fire Investigation & Prevention Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to fire/arson investigation and prevention is $64,140. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Fire Investigation & Prevention

Some degrees associated with fire/arson investigation and prevention may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to fire/arson investigation and prevention have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	20.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	20.5%
Some College Courses	48.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	7.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	3.5%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.0%

Online Fire Investigation & Prevention Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	2	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Fire Investigation & Prevention Worth It?

The median salary for a fire/arson investigation and prevention grad is $64,140 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 61% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $484,800 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Fire Investigation & Prevention

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to fire/arson investigation and prevention.

Major	Number of Grads
Fire Science	8,321
Fire Prevention & Safety Technology/Technician	3,862
Fire Services Administration	1,370
Other Fire Protection	140
Wildl&/Forest Firefighting & Investigation	76
Fire Systems Technology	72

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.