What is an Associates Degree In Fire Science Associate Program?
The Fire Science Associate's program provides coursework on the principle, prevention, operation, training, theories, management, safety, and practice. Students will receive formal education that is not limited to being a firefighter. There are various career paths to choose from in the field. The program covers an extensive groundwork for students interested in fire science with official documentation of college completion.
Why Should I Get a Fire Science Associate Degree?
The finish line is different for each student. A fresh out of high school student's intent may attend to enter the workforce upon graduation. An employee of one of the criminal justice careers may further pursue their education to bachelor level for promotion purposes.
How to Choose Fire Science Associate Program?
Which aspect of fire science is most appealing to a student? Is the degree program a stepping stone to advanced degrees? Or is the primary function of an associate is to join the workforce upon graduation?
Possible Careers
- Firefighting & prevention supervisor
- Firefighters
- Fire Inspectors
- Fire Investigators
- Forest Firefighter
- Forest Fire and Prevention Specialist
Application and Admissions for Fire Science Associate Degree Programs
Choosing a program is based on the availability and options the college of choice is offering. Applying for classes is strictly a first-come, first-served basis, so space is limited. Each campus, more often than not, has similar admission requirements, but other specifications differ from college to college.
- High school diploma or foreign equivalent.
- GED.
- 18 years or older without a high school diploma or GED.
- Successful completion of high school homeschooling.
- Recommendation of principal or scored high on collegiate-level placement exam for students 16-18 years old.
The cost to enroll per credit hour, including various fees each college, incurs are as followed: Massasoit in Massachusetts:
$215.00 total per credit hour for Massachusetts residents
- $24.00 cost per credit
- $183.00 General College Fee
- $8.00 Technology fee
- $421.00 total per credit hour for non-Massachusetts residents
- $230.00 cost per credit
- $183.00 General College Fee
- $8.00 Technology fee
Collin in Texas:
$54.00 total per credit hour for Texas, Collin County residents
- $52.00 cost per credit
- $2.00 cost per credit hour student activity fee
$100.00 total per credit hour for Texas, non-Collin County residents
- $98.00 cost per credit
- $2.00 cost per credit hour student activity fee
$167.00 total per credit hour for out of state/ country residents
- $165.00 cost per credit
- $2.00 cost per credit hour student activity fee
Prairie State in Illinois:
$174.00 total per credit hour for in-district residents
- $143.50 cost per credit
- $30.50 cost fee
$385.25 total per credit hour for out-of-district residents
- $358.75 cost per credit
- $30.50 cost fee
$461.00 total per credit hour for out-of-state/ international residents
- $430.50 cost per credit
- $30.50 cost fee
To make financial, educated, and informed decisions, efficient research and comparison is suggested to prevent students from getting into any unnecessary financial situations.
Associate Degrees in Fire Science
| School | Tuition* | Placement Services | Career Services | Accepts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fox Valley Technical College | $4840 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 2 | Utah Valley University | $4176 | No | Yes | N/A |
| 3 | Northeastern Junior College | $6690 | No | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 4 | Casper College | $27600 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 5 | Garden City Community College | $2070 | No | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 6 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | $4240 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 7 | Bates Technical College | $55566 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 8 | Southwestern Oklahoma State University | $5058 | No | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 9 | William Rainey Harper College | $9372 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 10 | San Jacinto Community College | $3456 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 11 | Hutchinson Community College | $4770 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 12 | Frontier Community College | $3062 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 13 | Mid-Plains Community College | $12298 | Yes | Yes | AP / ACE Credits |
| 14 | Waubonsee Community College | $4440 | Yes | Yes | AP / ACE / NCCRS Credits |
| 15 | Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale | $3602 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 16 | Western Technical College | $1124 | Yes | Yes | AP / ACE / NCCRS Credits |
| 17 | Elgin Community College | $5036 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 18 | College of Southern Maryland | $12594 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 19 | Kirkwood Community College | $1257 | No | Yes | AP Credits |
| 20 | Everett Community College | $3717 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 21 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | $30975 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 22 | Iowa Central Community College | $4980 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 23 | Helena College University of Montana | $4486 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 24 | Waukesha County Technical College | $4200 | Yes | Yes | AP / ACE Credits |
| 25 | Sussex County Community College | $5040 | Yes | Yes | AP / ACE Credits |
| 26 | Idaho State University | $4770 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 27 | Meridian Community College | $5715 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 28 | Riverland Community College | $2632 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 29 | Lewis and Clark Community College | $19120 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 30 | College of Eastern Idaho | $5328 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 31 | Lewis-Clark State College | $19120 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 32 | Illinois Central College | $4324 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 33 | Kansas City Kansas Community College | $6738 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 34 | Owensboro Community and Technical College | $13635 | No | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 35 | John Wood Community College | $4425 | No | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 36 | Southern Arkansas University Tech | $1095 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 37 | Southwestern Oregon Community College | $12625 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 38 | Des Moines Area Community College | $4572 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 39 | Lincoln Land Community College | $4158 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 40 | Blackhawk Technical College | $9540 | No | No | AP / ACE Credits |
| 41 | Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College | $4296 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 42 | West Kentucky Community and Technical College | $9870 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 43 | Western Iowa Tech Community College | $5378 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
| 44 | Amarillo College | $28656 | No | Yes | AP Credits |
| 45 | Colorado Mesa University | $3624 | Yes | Yes | AP Credits |
| 46 | Elizabethtown Community and Technical College | $4296 | Yes | Yes | AP / NCCRS Credits |
To get a more in-depth look at our school ranking methodology, please visit our ranking methodology page.
*Tuition information is based on published tuition and required fees, per data by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
How Long Does It Take to Get a Fire Science Associate Degree?
An Associate program is usually a two-year program with at least 60 credit hours worth of coursework. Obtaining a degree depends on many factors. There are many questions including, but not limited to:
- Is the student going to school full-time or part-time?
- How many classes are they taking?
- Does a student have time dedicated to their coursework in and out of class?
- Is a student fresh out of high school?
- Does a student have work and or life responsibilities?
- Are there schedule conflicts that prevent a student from applying for classes?
Each school decides the number of credit hours for their specific program. Both Massasoit and Collin are 60 credit hours, but Prairie State is 62 credit hours.
Degree Programs
Fire science programs vary from college to college, but they all teach the. Research is necessary that best fits the students' needs.
Type of Degrees
The type of degree a student is pursuing is contingent on if it is in conjunction with core general education studies.
Associate of Arts degree (A.A.)
An associate of arts degree in Fire Science, totaling up to at least 60 hours, typically takes about two years to complete. An A.A. is a transfer degree.
Associate of Science degree (A.S.)
An Associate in Science degree may consist of 60 credits hours. The additional amount of math and science courses may either be in place of the chosen electives or are supplemental courses that add more than 60 credit hours to fulfill the degree. It also typically takes about two years to complete. An A.S. is also a transfer degree.
Associate of Applied Science degree (A.A.S.)
An Associate in Applied Science degree may offer 60 credit hours. However, the key differences between an A.S. with an A.A.S. are:
- Specialized courses.
- Hands-on experience.
- A terminal degree.
- Enter the workforce upon graduation.
- Not a transfer degree like an A.S.
Schools like Triton, McHenry, and offer an Associate of Applied Science degree. Applied Science Degrees are non-transferable that will take graduates straight into the job world.
Quinsigmund has an Associate of Science degree. This Degree is transferrable to a four-year university.
Associate Degree Coursework
Most programs are up to 60 credit hours accompanied by general education studies. Most course offerings will be similar in basic principles, discipline, and training with added requirements and electives from respective institutions.
The classes in A.A., A.S., and A.A.S., incorporate:
- English Composition I
- Speech
- Mathematics
- Science
- Humanities
- Social science
Waldorf with an Associate of Arts and Columbia Southern with an Associate of Science have requirements totaling 65 transfer credit hours. Some of the coursework discussions, guidelines, procedures, handling, and practicum in the respective program include:
- Rescue techniques
- Emergency medical care
- Behavior of fires
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Prevention practices
- Emergency services
- Suppression techniques* Conducting inspections
- Recognizing fire hazards
- Emergency vehicles
- Hydraulic principles
- Standards and codes
- Flammable formulas
- Combustible substances
- Determining origin and cause of fires
While the majority of courses are 3 credit hours or less, most programs have an Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) course that typically runs 8 to 10 credit hours in length.
How Much Can I Earn With an Associate Degree in Fire Science?
Jobs in fire science are always in high demand as fires from the forest, building, and other areas, both by accident and on purpose, happen all of the time!
A career as a firefighter has a 6% faster than average job growth between 2019 and 2029 with a median wage of $52,500 as of May 2020.
Fire Inspectors, on the other hand, have an 8% much faster than average growth with a median wage of $64,610 as of May 2020.
Accreditation for Fire Science Associate Degree Programs
A student applying for a school must not only research their options but also make sure it is accredited for the work they are going to pursue. Whether it is at a campus, hybrid, or online, a potential employee does not want to find out that their degree is bogus. Proper research is very important.
What Are Other Fire Science Degree Options?
Continuing Education Information
Upon graduation, students holding an Associate in Science Degree (A.S.) may opt for a Bachelor's program. While positions at an Associate degree level of education are available, the desired promotions are beyond their reach due to restrictions in their educational background. Specialized or higher rank jobs with higher salaries are often in the Bachelor Degree level or higher.
Scholarships & Financial Aid for Fire Science Associate Degrees
Financial Aid (FAFSA) is available for those who qualify.
With proper research, students may be able to apply for scholarships. There are an abundance of different scholarships one may qualify for.
