Fire Protection at Monroe Community College

Monroe Community College's Fire Protection associate degree involves estimated costs and earnings that deserve careful interpretation. Based on comparable programs nationally, graduates might expect around $56,000 in first-year earnings with roughly $10,400 in debt—a 0.19 ratio that looks manageable on paper. However, the national median substantially exceeds what similar programs in New York actually report. Onondaga Community College, the only peer program in-state with published outcomes, shows graduates earning $37,705—about $18,000 less than the national figure used here.

That gap matters because fire protection is heavily regional, with local civil service requirements, union structures, and municipal budgets driving outcomes. If Monroe's program follows typical New York patterns rather than national ones, you're looking at a debt load that takes nearly three months of gross income to clear—still reasonable, but less compelling than the national estimate suggests. The program serves a substantial number of Pell-eligible students (47%), indicating it's designed for working families who need clear value.

The bottom line: Fire protection training can lead to stable public-sector careers, but assume earnings closer to the $38,000 New York benchmark until you can confirm otherwise. Contact Monroe's career services to learn where recent graduates actually work and what they earn. If most place locally with Rochester-area fire departments, request starting salary information directly from those departments before committing.