Fire Protection at Community College of Philadelphia

Community College of Philadelphia's Fire Protection program costs an estimated $10,370 in debt—a relatively modest figure for an associate's degree that peer programs suggest leads to median first-year earnings around $56,000. That 0.19 debt-to-earnings ratio indicates you'd owe less than 20 cents for every dollar earned in your first year, which puts this program in financially comfortable territory compared to many community college offerings. For a school serving a predominantly working-class student body (53% Pell recipients), that balance matters considerably.

The challenge is that these figures come entirely from national medians since this program's graduate cohort is too small for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes. Fire protection is a field where local hiring practices, department sizes, and civil service requirements vary dramatically by region. What Philadelphia-area fire departments actually pay entry-level firefighters—and whether graduates successfully land those positions—remains unclear from this data. Some programs nationally reach $75,500 in first-year earnings, suggesting pathways exist to substantially higher pay, likely through larger municipal departments or specialized roles.

If your child is committed to firefighting specifically and Philadelphia-area departments actively hire from this program, the financial setup looks reasonable. But confirm placement rates and actual starting salaries with the school's career services office before committing, since these estimates can't tell you whether this particular program delivers on that national benchmark in practice.