Certificate (under 1 year)+2% vs national median1,622 grads tracked
Fire Protection at Southwestern Illinois College
Ranked 23rd of 64 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Fire Protection by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$61,243
middle 50%: $41,032 – $87,552
Median · 5 years out
$72,441
middle 50%: $51,106 – $96,318
Median · 10 years out
$83,018
middle 50%: $59,160 – $107,790
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 earn $61k in their first year. Income reaches $72k at five years and $83k at ten years.
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
5.3 yrs
≈ $5,769 total interest
Same major at other universities
Tyler Junior College
$74,301 · 5 yrs out
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
McHenry County College
$72,384 · 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
Other majors at Southwestern Illinois College
Fire Protection (Associate)
$99,192 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Certificate)
$80,595 · 5 yrs out
Precision Production (Certificate)
$72,907 · 5 yrs out
Precision Metal Working (Certificate)
$72,907 · 5 yrs out
Carpenters (Certificate)
$70,557 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Associate)
$70,365 · 5 yrs out
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Associate)
$69,946 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Associate)
$69,154 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Certificate)
$68,650 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$68,526 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Certificate)
$67,570 · 5 yrs out
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Certificate)
$66,712 · 5 yrs out
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