Fire Protection at Methodist University

Methodist University's Fire Protection bachelor's program shows earnings that lag dramatically behind both state and national standards—graduates earn just $30,637 in their first year, less than half the North Carolina median of $49,112 and well below the national median of $67,102. Even among the limited number of Fire Protection programs in North Carolina, this ranks in the bottom 10th percentile. For context, Fayetteville State University's graduates in the same field earn more than twice as much at $67,586, suggesting location isn't the limiting factor.

The debt burden of $27,000 isn't astronomical in absolute terms, but when paired with these earnings, it creates a debt-to-income ratio of 0.88—meaning graduates owe nearly a full year's salary. The typical fire protection graduate nationally carries similar debt but earns enough to make repayment far more manageable. Here, monthly loan payments would consume a substantial portion of take-home pay.

The critical caveat: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual circumstances could skew results significantly. However, the gap is too wide to dismiss as statistical noise alone. If your child is committed to fire protection, they should understand why this program's outcomes differ so sharply from nearby alternatives and have a clear plan for either accelerating their career progression or minimizing debt through scholarships or part-time work during school.