Certificate (under 1 year)+16% vs national median1,581 grads tracked
Fire Protection at Houston Community College
Ranked 7th of 64 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Fire Protection by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$60,380
middle 50%: $38,303 – $70,608
Median · 5 years out
$82,328
middle 50%: $65,726 – $99,529
Median · 10 years out
$96,844
middle 50%: $78,494 – $116,180
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 a median of $60k in year one. Pay increases to $97k by year 10.
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 yrs
≈ $5,532 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
Kirkwood Community College
$83,557 · 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
Amarillo College
$76,343 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Houston Community College
Fire Protection (Associate)
$124,854 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Associate)
$99,334 · 5 yrs out
Physical Science Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$97,476 · 5 yrs out
Science Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$94,228 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$93,807 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Associate)
$87,244 · 5 yrs out
Engineering Science (Associate)
$87,244 · 5 yrs out
Physical Science Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$85,242 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Associate)
$84,025 · 5 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Certificate)
$82,991 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Associate)
$80,200 · 5 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate)
$79,428 · 5 yrs out
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