College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 16 colleges (16 of 16 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$43,030

Graduates only, early career.$42,682 two years out.

Median federal debt

$25,000

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.60×

60% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other report early-career pay between $35,542 and $47,081 — a spread of $11,539 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $35,542 median $43,030 75th pct $47,081

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Bachelor's 16 colleges $43,030 $25,000 0.60×

Master's 7 colleges $73,191 $30,750 0.44×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Neumann University PA $110,084 $17,500 debt

Thomas Edison State University NJ $55,538 —

Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City OK $48,932 —

Point Park University PA $47,615 —

Massachusetts Maritime Academy MA $46,903 $25,000 debt

St Petersburg College FL $45,858 $30,000 debt

Franklin University OH $44,823 —

Florida SouthWestern State College FL $44,407 —

Virginia Commonwealth University VA $41,654 $20,000 debt

Tiffin University OH $40,696 $27,000 debt

Tulane University of Louisiana LA $37,871 $25,697 debt

University of New Haven CT $35,936 $27,000 debt

Florida State College at Jacksonville FL $34,360 $16,888 debt

Miami Dade College FL $33,576 $13,000 debt

Savannah State University GA $31,687 $26,000 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard