Strength, courage and a high school diploma used to be enough for firefighters, but increasingly firefighters are earning college degrees to advance in their jobs, reports Inside Higher Ed. Community colleges and for-profit institutions are creating fire safety programs, usually leading to an associate degree. Chiefs typically have a bachelor’s degree, sometimes with a master’s or even a doctorate.
Fire departments, it seems, are on board with the Obama administration-led completion agenda. Yet some high-profile critics of those goals argue that many professions don’t require degrees, and that police officers, medical assistants or firefighters might be better off not taking on college debt.
While some firefighters earn college degrees, others earn a series of technical certifications.
More firefighters are professionals, rather than volunteers, these days.
The professionalization of the industry has increased specialized education needs. So has an increased reliance on fire departments for emergency medical services and the recent need for firefighters to be trained in anti-terrorism and homeland security practices. As a result, more firefighters hold related credentials, like EMS certificates or paramedic degrees.
Online education makes it possible for firefighters to earn degrees while working irregular shifts.
