Education >> Browse Articles >> Education Article
The 411 on Fire Science Degrees
Allison Tinney, Kayla Baxter | FireLink.com
The fire science degree is an enigma to some, mainly due to the fact that firefighters for many years were not expected to have higher education. But as demand for positions increase, so does the quality of candidates. Firefighters are no longer competing amongst high school graduates, but candidates with associate and bachelor degrees as well.
FireLink has recently partnered with schools that offer top fire science degree programs to get you the education you need to get ahead. Click the individual topics below, or simply follow the numbered tabs at the bottom of the page to get started.
• Q&A
• Qualifications
• Online v. Traditional
• Typical Coursework
• Salary Benefits & Promotion
• Get Started
micaht
6 months ago
2 comments
I'm a 25 yo paid firefighter/EMT-2/HazMat tech. spec. The fancy titles don't seem to mean much. I'd like to prove that being a firefighter is what I want to be. Unfortunately I'm GED holder, and I don't even know how to get started on pursuing college degrees. How do I get started, and how do I do it with out huge debt at the end.
andrea_fights_fires
7 months ago
6 comments
I AM A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AS WELL AS AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCHER. I'M LOOKING FOR A GOOD ONLINE SCHOOL AND LOOKING TO GET INFORMATION ON THE BILL PASSED BY THE PRESIDENT. IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFORMATION PLEASE SHARE.
THANK YOU
jpr
7 months ago
6 comments
I have attended fire courses at 7 California Community Colleges in the past two years. All these have been north of the Santa Barbara Area. As for offering thre most Officer Courses College of the Siskiyous offers the most and high quality instruction. College of the Siskiyous also offers a great Academy. Tony Oso is the program Cooridnator and Debi Dutcher is far more than the Secretary (her title). Specality instructors that are brought in are very well qualified and provide great instruction.
Information may be obtained from the College of the Siskiyous web site and clicking the Fire Program link. Tony and Debi always have the right answers and time for the students.
Also, the campus is one of the most natural and beautiful in the country. In the winter Mt Shasta Ski Park offers winter sports. In season trout fishing is great. The college partners with most of the local fire departments and arranges for "sleepers" which gives on the job experience. In my personal experience I have seen close to 100% placement of Academy Graduates in Agancy jobs upon graduation.
This the best program I personally have found in Northern California. I am 51 years old and had two agency job offers and three private offers after completing less than 75 credit hours. I chose one of the private companies and later bought out two divisions of the private company.
Results say it all.
Jon
djaramillo20
7 months ago
2 comments
im wondering what the best college to go to in california is to earn my fire techAA
Roachman
7 months ago
2 comments
I'm a career firefighter who allready has an AAS in Fire Science and I'm looking for grant money to finish my Bachelor's in Fire Safety Engineering but not having much luck, any leads/clues where to find the money?
RHFC71Myers
7 months ago
2 comments
Is an associate's degree in fire science enough to get your foot in the door as a paid firefighter? Or is it basically that you need a bachelor's? I figured on beginning with an associates just for starters and then as I work in the service, advance to a bachelors. Are online classes even worth it? I mean I've always thought that it's not the same as an actual education and that no one would really ever take it seriously.
ktfd8102
7 months ago
48 comments
I am in Michigan and am trying to figure out which school to start pursuing my fire science degree... Is there any colleges that are recommended more than any others?
Fire_Legal
8 months ago
2 comments
As Ron stated here, we at Eastern Oregon University have a Fire Service Administration Degree which is 100% online. When you finish your associates you transfer into us. We have the last two years of the degree (300 and 400 level). You will graduate from us (an accredited state university) with either a BA or BS Degree. We have scholarships for transfer students who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and you do not have to be full time. If you do not have a 3.0 GPA I have another pot of money for a part time scholarship that I will be happy to give you.
We have students from all over the US at our school. We also offer classes in Portland, Oregon live on site at the Portland Community College, Cascade Campus. We have hybrid classes (3 days face to face and balance online) or one week live insatiate. The choice is yours. Our cost is $135 per credit hour in or out of state - no difference in cost. You can get more information by sending me (Les Balsiger) an e-mail at lbalsige@eou.edu or 541-962-3531. You can also visit our website at www.eou.edu/fsa .
We have the standard urban fire degree and are adding an emergency management concentration and a wild land fire concentration in the next year.
university2
8 months ago
2 comments
Where is the nearest fire academy in Tennessee, i have really thought about it because i love to help people, if anyone know , please send some info to my email, ..jra2k@mtsu.edu.., but i live in Nashville, so im trying to determine if i need to move...
Jimbo74
9 months ago
2 comments
Looking at becoming a firefighter after I get out of the military. To further my education and make myself more marketable in the field, I am working toward my Fire Science BS degree on line. I am attending Columbia Southern University. They have AS and BS degree programs and give credit for documented training and are very accommodating. http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/
Rhamilton86
9 months ago
28 comments
good idea
datguy
9 months ago
2 comments
can anyone help me? I am a firefighter in a caribbean country. I've been for the past three years. I trained using the essential manuals. Are there any online degree programms i may qualify for?
mikef4846
10 months ago
78 comments
i think its a great idea to go back to school i was always told that if you dont learn something new in a day then it wasnt worth getting out of bed
dmfd396
10 months ago
32 comments
Never would thought I would go back to school. But if I want to get a better postion I better.
earthquake98
11 months ago
4 comments
I have my AA and BS. All I need is to become a Firefighter