Fire Protection at Coffeyville Community College

With estimated first-year earnings around $56,000 and debt near $10,400, this fire protection program appears to offer solid vocational preparation—though the specifics are harder to pin down than at larger programs. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.19 suggests manageable borrowing for technical training that leads to middle-income work, and fire protection careers typically offer strong job security and benefits that aren't captured in salary figures alone.

The earnings estimate comes from national peer programs, which suggests Coffeyville's outcomes could be similar. However, Kansas programs specifically show a slightly lower median at $51,000—about 9% less than the national figure. That gap may reflect regional cost-of-living differences or variations in local fire department hiring practices. For a community college serving a rural Kansas town, these estimates point toward career-ready credentials without the debt loads that plague four-year programs.

The practical consideration: fire protection is a field where certification, physical fitness, and local hiring matter as much as where you earned your degree. If your student is committed to firefighting or emergency services, a community college route with under $11,000 in debt makes more financial sense than higher-cost alternatives. Just recognize that actual outcomes for Coffeyville specifically remain uncertain given the limited graduate data.