Fire Protection at Modesto Junior College

Modesto Junior College's fire protection certificate stands out for its earnings performance—graduates earn $50,364 in their first year, which beats the national median by more than $3,000 and places this program in the 77th percentile nationally. That's solid compensation for a credential that takes less than two years to complete and, based on national data for similar programs, typically requires around $9,557 in student debt.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.19 suggests a manageable financial picture: borrowers would need to dedicate roughly 19% of their first year's salary to repay what they owe. For context, fire protection programs in California typically carry higher debt loads (around $15,000 at the median), so if this national estimate holds true here, Modesto students may be getting better value than at comparable state programs. The earnings also outpace what's typical at other California community colleges offering this certificate, including larger programs like Santa Ana.

The limitation is that we can't know for certain how much debt Modesto graduates actually carry—the school's cohort is too small for the DOE to report. But if these national benchmarks are anywhere close to accurate, this program delivers strong early earnings at a reasonable cost, making it a practical entry point into fire protection careers without the debt burden of a four-year degree.