Fire Science

Types of Degrees Fire Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many fire science graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	5,261
Associate Degree	2,083
Undergraduate Certificate	699
Bachelor’s Degree	259

What Fire Science Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to fire science 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 Science Majors

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

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Fire Science Majors

When studying fire science, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Abilities for Fire Science Majors

As you progress with your fire science degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Fire Science Major?

People with a fire science degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Fire Inspectors	7.3%	$62,510
Fire Investigators	7.3%	$62,510
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists	29.4%	$39,600
Municipal Fire Fighting and Prevention Supervisors	7.1%	$76,330
Municipal Firefighters	7.2%	$49,620

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 88% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of fire science majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	27
Black or African American	75
Hispanic or Latino	249
White	1,520
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	211

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Fire Science, too. About 0.0% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Fire Science Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Fire Science majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $49,610 to $64,140 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes 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 Science

Some careers associated with fire science require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	4.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	29.7%
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)	21.8%
Some College Courses	20.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	15.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	6.5%
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.	0.4%
Master’s Degree	0.7%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.0%

Online Fire Science 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)	125	8
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	209	21
Bachelor’s Degree	1	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	1
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 Science Worth It?

The median salary for a fire science grad is $53,240 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 33% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $266,800 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Fire Science

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to fire science.

Major	Number of Grads
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
Fire/Arson Investigation & Prevention	60

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.