Fire Protection at Butler Community College

A fire protection associate's degree in Kansas typically leads to first-year earnings around $51,000, but Butler's program draws from national peer data suggesting roughly $56,000—a figure that should be viewed cautiously given the lack of school-specific outcomes. The estimated $10,370 in debt is manageable regardless, translating to a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.19. For context, nearby Hutchinson Community College reports actual earnings of $51,007 for their fire protection graduates, which may be a more reliable Kansas benchmark.

The uncertainty here matters because fire protection careers vary significantly by region and employer type. Graduates working for municipal fire departments in larger Kansas metros might approach that $56,000 estimate, while those in smaller communities or wildland firefighting roles could see substantially less. The debt load is low enough that even if earnings fall short of the estimate, the financial burden remains light—monthly payments would be modest on any reasonable income in this field.

Given the limited data, your best move is treating the $51,000 Kansas median as the more realistic expectation while hoping for upside. At that earnings level with this debt load, the program works financially, though it's worth confirming whether Butler's specific connections to Kansas fire departments and training facilities justify choosing it over Hutchinson, where the outcomes are known rather than estimated.