College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2022 Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Fire Protection

395 Colleges in the United States
4,031 Associate Degrees
$51,707 Avg Early-Career Salary
Fire Protection is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #33 most popular associate degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 395 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the most popular for fire protection students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 4,031 associate degrees in fire protection to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Fire Protection School for Your Associate Degree

Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Fire Protection The fire protection associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. We created our Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Fire Protection ranking to make it a little easier to choose the right one for you.

Being popular does not always equate to overall quality, but a school with a large number of fire protection students usually has them for a reason. Sometimes this is because the school offers a great educational experience, it is a good value, or it is highly focused on the program.

More Ways to Rank Fire Protection Schools

Bachelor's Degrees in Fire Protection
Master's Degrees in Fire Protection
Doctor's Degrees in Fire Protection
Overall Popularity in Fire Protection

This ranking is just one of the many we have created. First of all, if you are interested in other degree levels, you may want to take a look at one of the rankings highlighted above. Also, if you are interested in attending school in a specific part of the country, see our rankings by location. On top of that, you can visit our other rankings for fire protection.

The following list ranks the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in fire protection. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Most Well Attended Schools for Fire Protection Students Working on Their Associate

1
660 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In AL
#1 Best Quality In AL

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Columbia Southern University if you want to pursue an associate degree in fire protection. Located in the town of Orange Beach, Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit university with a large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Alabama.

There were about 660 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at Columbia Southern University in the most recent data year.

Associate recipients from the fire protection program at Columbia Southern University make $10,693 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Columbia Southern University

2
114 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In UT
#1 Best Quality In UT

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Utah Valley University if you want to pursue an associate degree in fire protection. Located in the city of Orem, UVU is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Utah.

There were roughly 114 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at UVU in the most recent data year.

Fire Protection associate degree recipients from Utah Valley University earn a boost of around $3,393 above the typical earnings of fire protection graduates.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Utah Valley University

3
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA
97 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CA
#1 Best Quality In CA

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Santa Ana College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in fire protection. Located in the city of Santa Ana, SAC is a public college with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in California.

There were approximately 97 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at SAC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Santa Ana College

4
Waldorf crest
Waldorf University
Forest City, IA
60 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IA
#1 Best Quality In IA

Any student who is interested in an associate degree in fire protection needs to take a look at Waldorf University. Located in the town of Forest City, Waldorf is a private for-profit university with a small student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Iowa.

There were approximately 60 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Waldorf in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Waldorf University

5
RHCCD crest
Rio Hondo College
Whittier, CA
58 Annual Associate Degrees
#2 Most Popular In CA
#5 Best Quality In CA

RHCCD is a large public college located in the suburb of Whittier. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #5 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in California.

There were about 58 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at RHCCD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Rio Hondo College

6
55 Annual Associate Degrees
#3 Most Popular In CA
#10 Best Quality In CA

Located in the suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

There were roughly 55 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Mt. SAC in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Mt. San Antonio College

7
Sierra College crest
Sierra College
Rocklin, CA
53 Annual Associate Degrees
#4 Most Popular In CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the large suburb of Rocklin, Sierra College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

There were approximately 53 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at Sierra College in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Sierra College

8
Palomar College crest
Palomar College
San Marcos, CA
49 Annual Associate Degrees
#5 Most Popular In CA
#11 Best Quality In CA

Palomar College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of San Marcos.

There were about 49 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Palomar College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Palomar College

9
43 Annual Associate Degrees
#6 Most Popular In CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Long Beach City College is a very large public college located in the large city of Long Beach.

There were roughly 43 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Long Beach City College in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Long Beach City College

10
39 Annual Associate Degrees
#7 Most Popular In CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of San Diego, San Diego Miramar College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

There were about 39 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at San Diego Miramar College in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from San Diego Miramar College

11
Valencia College crest
Valencia College
Orlando, FL
38 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In FL
#1 Best Quality In FL

Located in the large city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public college with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Florida.

There were approximately 38 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Valencia College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Valencia College

11
38 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MA
#1 Best Quality In MA

North Shore Community College is a small public college located in the suburb of Danvers. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Massachusetts.

There were roughly 38 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at North Shore Community College in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from North Shore Community College

13
36 Annual Associate Degrees
#8 Most Popular In CA
#4 Best Quality In CA

SRJC is a large public college located in the midsize city of Santa Rosa. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in California.

There were about 36 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at SRJC in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Santa Rosa Junior College

13
36 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In WV
#1 Best Quality In WV

Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in West Virginia.

There were approximately 36 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at American Military University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from American Public University System

15
35 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In HI
#1 Best Quality In HI

Honolulu CC is a small public college located in the city of Honolulu. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Hawaii.

There were roughly 35 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Honolulu CC in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Honolulu Community College

16
34 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IL
#1 Best Quality In IL

Harper College is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Palatine. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Illinois.

There were about 34 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at Harper College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from William Rainey Harper College

17
Purdue University Global crest
Purdue University Global
Indianapolis, IN
33 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IN
#1 Best Quality In IN

Located in the city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Indiana.

There were approximately 33 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Purdue University Global in the most recent data year.

Associate recipients from the fire protection degree program at Purdue University Global earn $10,993 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Purdue University Global

18
Oxnard College crest
Oxnard College
Oxnard, CA
32 Annual Associate Degrees
#9 Most Popular In CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Oxnard College is a moderately-sized public college located in the medium-sized city of Oxnard.

There were approximately 32 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Oxnard College in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Oxnard College

19
Los Medanos crest
Los Medanos College
Pittsburg, CA
30 Annual Associate Degrees
#10 Most Popular In CA
#2 Best Quality In CA

Located in the suburb of Pittsburg, Los Medanos is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in California.

There were approximately 30 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Los Medanos in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Los Medanos College

19
30 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In OR
#1 Best Quality In OR

Chemeketa Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the midsize suburb of Salem. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Oregon.

There were roughly 30 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at Chemeketa Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Chemeketa Community College

19
Bakersfield College crest
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, CA
30 Annual Associate Degrees
#10 Most Popular In CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Bakersfield College is a very large public college located in the city of Bakersfield.

There were roughly 30 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at Bakersfield College in the most recent data year.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Bakersfield College

19
30 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In KS
#1 Best Quality In KS

Located in the distant town of Hutchinson, Hutchinson Community College is a public college with a small student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in Kansas.

There were about 30 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at Hutchinson Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

Associate students who receive their degree from the fire protection program make an average of $35,000 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Hutchinson Community College

19
Victor Valley College crest
Victor Valley College
Victorville, CA
30 Annual Associate Degrees
#10 Most Popular In CA
#12 Best Quality In CA

Located in the suburb of Victorville, Victor Valley College is a public college with a large student population.

There were roughly 30 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at Victor Valley College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Victor Valley College

24
29 Annual Associate Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NC
#6 Best Quality In NC

FTCC is a large public college located in the medium-sized city of Fayetteville. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #6 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in North Carolina.

There were about 29 fire protection students who graduated with this degree at FTCC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Fayetteville Technical Community College

25
Allan Hancock College crest
Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria, CA
28 Annual Associate Degrees
#13 Most Popular In CA
#8 Best Quality In CA

Located in the city of Santa Maria, Allan Hancock College is a public college with a large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #8 in quality for associate degrees in fire protection in California.

There were about 28 fire protection individuals who graduated with this degree at Allan Hancock College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a associate in fire protection from Allan Hancock College

25
Allan Hancock College crest
Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria, CA
25
COD crest
College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL
25
25
Las Positas College crest
Las Positas College
Livermore, CA
29
Chaffey College crest
Chaffey College
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
29
29
San Antonio College crest
San Antonio College
San Antonio, TX

29
SPC crest
St Petersburg College
Clearwater, FL

33
33
El Camino College crest
El Camino College
Torrance, CA
33
36
Butte College crest
Butte College
Oroville, CA
36
36
Moreno Valley College crest
Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley, CA
36
36
North Harris Montgomery crest
Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, TX

36

42
43
43
43
46
Blinn College crest
Blinn College
Brenham, TX
46
College of the Canyons crest
College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, CA
48
48
Mission College crest
Mission College
Santa Clara, CA

Remaining Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Fire Protection badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 395 different United States fire protection schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
50Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlotte, NC
50Weatherford CollegeWeatherford, TX
50College of San MateoSan Mateo, CA
53Vincennes UniversityVincennes, IN
53Cleveland Community CollegeShelby, NC
53American River CollegeSacramento, CA
53Pikes Peak Community CollegeColorado Springs, CO
57Central New Mexico Community CollegeAlbuquerque, NM
57Houston Community CollegeHouston, TX
59Hawaii Community CollegeHilo, HI
59Madison Area Technical CollegeMadison, WI
59Austin Community College DistrictAustin, TX
59Southern Maine Community CollegeSouth Portland, ME
59University of Alaska FairbanksFairbanks, AK
59Onondaga Community CollegeSyracuse, NY

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Fire Protection award.

RankCollegeLocation
65Modesto Junior CollegeModesto, CA
65Tulsa Community CollegeTulsa, OK
65Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI
68Fresno City CollegeFresno, CA
68Casper CollegeCasper, WY
68Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, OK
68Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown, NC
72Cabrillo CollegeAptos, CA
72Elgin Community CollegeElgin, IL
72Columbus State Community CollegeColumbus, OH
72John Wood Community CollegeQuincy, IL
72Joliet Junior CollegeJoliet, IL
77Massasoit Community CollegeBrockton, MA
77Columbia CollegeSonora, CA
77Stark State CollegeNorth Canton, OH
77Lake Superior CollegeDuluth, MN
77Keiser University - Ft LauderdaleFort Lauderdale, FL
77Davidson County Community CollegeThomasville, NC
77East Los Angeles CollegeMonterey Park, CA
77Everett Community CollegeEverett, WA
77Delgado Community CollegeNew Orleans, LA

Fire Protection by Region

View the Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Fire Protection for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Fire Protection is one of 4 different types of Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting programs to choose from.

Fire Protection Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Fire Science2,066
Fire Prevention & Safety Technology/Technician1,698
Fire Services Administration156
Fire Systems Technology60
Wildl&/Forest Firefighting & Investigation29
Other Fire Protection14
Fire/Arson Investigation & Prevention8

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Criminal Justice & Corrections30,064
Security Science and Technology598
Homeland Security429
Other Homeland Security146

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options