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2024 Best Fire Protection Associate Degree Schools

155 Colleges in the United States
3,986 Associate Degrees
$55,547 Avg Early-Career Salary
Fire Protection is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #36 most popular associate degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 155 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Fire Protection Associate Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,986 associate degrees in fire protection during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Fire Protection School for Your Associate Degree

Best Fire Protection Associate Degree Schools Your choice of fire protection for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for fire protection students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Fire Protection Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Fire Protection Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Fire Protection Associate Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Fire Protection in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in fire protection. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

24 Top Schools for an Associate in Fire Protection

1
486 Annual Graduates
$66,269 Median Starting Salary
$10,500 Median Student Debt

Columbia Southern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in fire protection. Located in the fringe town of Orange Beach, Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Associate recipients from the fire protection degree program at Columbia Southern University earn $10,722 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Columbia Southern University

2
Moreno Valley College crest
Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley, CA
42 Annual Graduates

Moreno Valley College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in fire protection. Located in the large suburb of Moreno Valley, Moreno Valley College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from Moreno Valley College

3
Valencia College crest
Valencia College
Orlando, FL
62 Annual Graduates
$8,000 Median Student Debt

Valencia College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in fire protection. Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from Valencia College

4
28 Annual Graduates

Santa Rosa Junior College is a great option for individuals interested in an associate degree in fire protection. SRJC is a large public college located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa.More information about a associate in fire protection from Santa Rosa Junior College

5
54 Annual Graduates
$18,191 Median Student Debt

Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from American Public University System

6
109 Annual Graduates
$10,370 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Orem, UVU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from Utah Valley University

7
Waldorf crest
Waldorf University
Forest City, IA
40 Annual Graduates
$67,267 Median Starting Salary
$12,609 Median Student Debt

Located in the remote town of Forest City, Waldorf is a private for-profit university with a small student population.

Fire Protection associate degree recipients from Waldorf University receive an earnings boost of about $11,720 above the typical income of fire protection graduates.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Waldorf University

8
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA
56 Annual Graduates
$54,135 Median Starting Salary
$14,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Santa Ana, SAC is a public college with a very large student population.

Associate students who receive their degree from the fire protection program earn around $54,135 for their early career.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Santa Ana College

9
17 Annual Graduates

CSN is a fairly large public college located in the city of Las Vegas.More information about a associate in fire protection from College of Southern Nevada

10

Honolulu CC is a small public college located in the large city of Honolulu.

After graduation, fire protection associate recipients usually earn an average of $40,616 in their early careers.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Honolulu Community College

10
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11
20 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from Madison Area Technical College

12
33 Annual Graduates
$79,110 Median Starting Salary
$10,192 Median Student Debt

North Shore Community College is a small public college located in the suburb of Danvers.

Fire Protection associate degree recipients from North Shore Community College receive an earnings boost of around $23,563 over the average income of fire protection majors.

More information about a associate in fire protection from North Shore Community College

13
21 Annual Graduates
$10,000 Median Student Debt

FVTC is a fairly large public college located in the midsize suburb of Appleton.More information about a associate in fire protection from Fox Valley Technical College

14
Purdue University Global crest
Purdue University Global
West Lafayette, IN
$68,511 Median Starting Salary
$21,244 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Global is a public university with a very large student population.

Associate recipients from the fire protection major at Purdue University Global make $12,964 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Purdue University Global

15
23 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Steubenville, Eastern Gateway Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from Eastern Gateway Community College

16
3 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of La Crosse, Western Technical College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from Western Technical College

17

Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

After graduation, fire protection associate recipients generally make about $52,031 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

18
9 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Warren, Macomb Community College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from Macomb Community College

19
Ivy Tech Community College crest
Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, IN
33 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from Ivy Tech Community College

20

Located in the large suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public college with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the fire protection program report average early career wages of $29,741.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Mt. San Antonio College

21

UC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Cincinnati.More information about a associate in fire protection from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

22
Hennepin Technical College crest
Hennepin Technical College
Brooklyn Park, MN
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from Hennepin Technical College

23
El Camino College crest
El Camino College
Torrance, CA
26 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Torrance, El Camino College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in fire protection from El Camino College

Rest of the Top Best Fire Protection Associate Degree Schools

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Fire Protection Associate Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
26 Southwestern College Chula Vista, CA
27 Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX
28 Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey, IL
29 Hutchinson Community College Hutchinson, KS
30 Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI
31 Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL
24 Yavapai College Prescott, AZ
25 University of New Haven West Haven, CT

Fire Protection by Region

View the Best Fire Protection Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Fire Protection is one of 4 different types of Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting programs to choose from.

Fire Protection Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Fire Science 1,953
Fire Prevention & Safety Technology/Technician 1,800
Fire Services Administration 137
Fire Systems Technology 50
Wildl&/Forest Firefighting & Investigation 38
Fire/Arson Investigation & Prevention 6
Other Fire Protection 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Criminal Justice & Corrections 29,944
Security Science and Technology 728
Homeland Security 499
Other Homeland Security 147

Notes and References

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