WhatGradsMake
Certificate (under 1 year)+18% vs national median93 grads tracked

Fire Protection at Kirkwood Community College

Ranked 6th of 64 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Fire Protection by 5-year earnings.

Median · 1 year out
$68,626
middle 50%: $37,821 – $85,226
Median · 5 years out
$83,557
middle 50%: $64,085 – $93,359
Median · 10 years out
$99,192
middle 50%: $84,610 – $108,063

Salary trajectory

Median earnings vs the national median for Fire Protection (certificate (under 1 year)) graduates.

This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates

Graduates of Kirkwood Community College's certificate (under 1 year) program in Fire Protection earn a median $68,626 one year after graduating, rising to $99,192 by year ten. Five years out, earnings run 18% above the national median of $71,068 for this field, ranking 6th of 64 reporting programs.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.

Will the degree pay for itself?

Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.

Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).

Paid off in
4.7 yrs
≈ $5,014 total interest

Same major at other universities

College Of DuPage
$90,582 · 5 yrs out
Collin County Community College District
$87,082 · 5 yrs out
Tarrant County College District
$85,733 · 5 yrs out
Des Moines Area Community College
$85,523 · 5 yrs out
Hennepin Technical College
$84,761 · 5 yrs out
Houston Community College
$82,328 · 5 yrs out
Dallas College
$81,624 · 5 yrs out
Arapahoe Community College
$81,157 · 5 yrs out
Lincoln Land Community College
$80,964 · 5 yrs out
Lamar Institute of Technology
$79,409 · 5 yrs out
Lewis and Clark Community College
$77,430 · 5 yrs out

Other majors at Kirkwood Community College

Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Certificate)
$85,664 · 5 yrs out
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$80,729 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Certificate)
$76,958 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$67,675 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$67,570 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$67,528 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Certificate)
$65,511 · 5 yrs out
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies (Associate)
$65,458 · 5 yrs out
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Associate)
$65,458 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Associate)
$65,062 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Associate)
$65,062 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Associate)
$64,578 · 5 yrs out

Related fields of study

Criminal Justice and Corrections
Compare universities
Homeland Security
Compare universities
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services
Compare universities
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other
Compare universities
Security Science and Technology
Compare universities