Fire Protection at Methodist University
Fayetteville, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
45
Optimistic
44
Base Case
41
Pessimistic
Earnings
$30,637/yr (-55% vs median)
AI Risk
Moderate (34% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (150,900 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Fire Protection graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $351K | $308K | $254K |
| Earnings Multiple | 2.2x | 1.9x | 1.6x |
| Viable Career Paths | 6 of 6 | 6 of 6 | 6 of 6 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 45 | 44 | 41 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition
$158,656
Median Debt at Graduation
$27,000
10.6 months of Year 1 earnings
Career Paths
Where Fire Protection graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 150,900 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, all other | $136,550 | 106,700 | +4.5% | 47% |
| First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers | $92,430 | 6,500 | +3.4% | 42% |
| Fire inspectors and investigators | $78,060 | 1,500 | +3.8% | 29% |
| Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary | $61,490 | 8,800 | +0.7% | 49% |
| Firefighters | $59,530 | 27,100 | +3.4% | 14% |
| Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists | $52,380 | 300 | +14.6% | 22% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Fire Protection at Methodist University?
This program scores 44/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 45 (optimistic) to 41 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Fire Protection career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Fire Protection graduates retain 6 of 6 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $253,757 (pessimistic) to $351,219 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Fire Protection graduates?
The career paths mapped to Fire Protection have roughly 150,900 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Fire Protection at Methodist University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 1.9x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 1.6x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.