Certificate (under 1 year)+2% vs national median619 grads tracked
Fire Protection at McHenry County College
Ranked 24th of 64 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Fire Protection by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$40,059
middle 50%: $29,081 – $56,630
Median · 5 years out
$72,384
middle 50%: $51,520 – $94,989
Median · 10 years out
$100,583
middle 50%: $62,260 – $125,058
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
Fire Protection certificate holders from McHenry County College see starting salaries of $40k. Earnings jump to $72k by year five and $101k by year ten.
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
6.2 yrs
≈ $7,426 total interest
Same major at other universities
Blinn College
$74,080 · 5 yrs out
San Jacinto Community College District
$73,425 · 5 yrs out
Midland College
$73,042 · 5 yrs out
Waubonsee Community College
$72,966 · 5 yrs out
Community College of Aurora
$72,896 · 5 yrs out
Southwestern Illinois College
$72,441 · 5 yrs out
Odessa College
$72,258 · 5 yrs out
Oakton College
$71,899 · 5 yrs out
Northland Community and Technical College
$71,084 · 5 yrs out
College of the Mainland
$71,068 · 5 yrs out
Trinity Valley Community College
$70,870 · 5 yrs out
Casper College
$70,497 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at McHenry County College
Fire Protection (Associate)
$114,157 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Certificate)
$99,994 · 5 yrs out
Construction Management (Associate)
$79,787 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$77,901 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Associate)
$75,080 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Certificate)
$72,384 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Associate)
$71,823 · 5 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Certificate)
$70,584 · 5 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate)
$68,327 · 5 yrs out
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Certificate)
$66,619 · 5 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Certificate)
$65,698 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Certificate)
$64,175 · 5 yrs out
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