Fire Protection at Yavapai College

The fire protection field typically offers solid financial fundamentals for an associate degree, and the estimated numbers here—around $56,000 in first-year earnings against roughly $10,400 in debt—reflect that pattern. Based on national data from similar programs, graduates would face monthly loan payments equivalent to just a few shifts' worth of work, which is manageable for someone entering emergency services. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.19 suggests borrowers could reasonably pay off loans within a year or two of focused repayment.

What's harder to assess is how Yavapai College's specific program stacks up against Arizona's 12 other fire protection programs. The estimates here come from national medians because the school's graduate cohort was too small for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes. That means we can't see whether this program connects students to the Phoenix or Tucson fire departments, which likely pay better than rural Arizona districts, or whether its graduates tend toward lower-paying positions in smaller communities around Prescott.

For families, the key question is placement: does this program have the relationships and track record to get graduates hired where they want to work? The estimated financials suggest fire protection training generally pays off, but you'll want to verify that Yavapai's graduates specifically are landing the jobs that justify the investment—something the suppressed data can't tell you.