Vista, California has 25 accredited schools offering fire science programs, with tuition ranging from $1,146 to $20,682 per year for indexed programs. Vista has a population of about 98,646. Median household income is $91,854 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning fire science-related role is Emergency Management Director at a median $117,070 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Fire Science Schools to Vista
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer fire science programs near Vista, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Vista city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Vista.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,552
Avg net price
$3,133/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 70
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,553
Avg net price
$11,331/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$44,950
Avg net price
$14,379/yr
TuitionIn‑state$1,388
Out‑of‑state$9,884
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 63
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$38,537
Avg net price
$9,634/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 100%
- Programs offered: 43
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,678
Avg net price
$12,152/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,526
Avg net price
$3,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$37,291
Avg net price
$14,621/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$37,361
Avg net price
$8,069/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California fire science page.
Fire Science Wages Near Vista
Vista is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Firefighter | $70,900 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $63,360 |
| First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $99,540 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $88,954 |
| Fire Inspector and Investigator | $97,250 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $86,908 |
| Emergency Management Director | $117,070 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $104,620 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Vista at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 98,646 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $91,854 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 27.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 111.9 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Vista-Area Cities With Fire Science Programs
- Oceanside, CA – 4.7 mi away (175,464 pop)
- Carlsbad, CA – 5.2 mi away (113,952 pop)
- San Marcos, CA – 5.3 mi away (95,261 pop)
- Encinitas, CA – 9.8 mi away (63,131 pop)
- Escondido, CA – 10.3 mi away (151,613 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited fire science schools are near Vista, CA?
Our directory has 25 accredited schools offering fire science programs near Vista. The closest is Palomar College in San Marcos, CA (4.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of the Desert (61.7 miles). 7 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying fire science roles near Vista?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying fire science-related roles near Vista are: Emergency Management Director ($117,070), First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($99,540), Fire Inspector and Investigator ($97,250). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Oceanside instead of Vista?
Oceanside, CA is 4.7 miles from Vista and has its own set of local fire science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Vista an affordable place to study fire science?
Vista’s median household income of $91,854 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Vista while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Fire Science Programs
Other Programs Available in Vista
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Vista:
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- International Business programs in Vista, CA
- Organizational Leadership programs in Vista, CA
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- Nonprofit Management programs in Vista, CA
- Operations Management programs in Vista, CA
- Public Administration programs in Vista, CA
- Real Estate programs in Vista, CA
- Recreation Management programs in Vista, CA
- Retail Management programs in Vista, CA
- Risk Management programs in Vista, CA
- Statistics programs in Vista, CA
- Taxation programs in Vista, CA
- Corrections programs in Vista, CA
- Crime Analysis programs in Vista, CA
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Vista, CA
- Criminology programs in Vista, CA
- Cybercrime programs in Vista, CA
- Emergency Management programs in Vista, CA
- Forensic Science programs in Vista, CA
- Legal Services programs in Vista, CA
- Legal Studies programs in Vista, CA
- Paralegal programs in Vista, CA
- Security Management programs in Vista, CA
- Cloud Computing programs in Vista, CA
- Computer Engineering programs in Vista, CA
- Innovation programs in Vista, CA
- Mobile App Development programs in Vista, CA
- Software Development programs in Vista, CA
- User Experience programs in Vista, CA
- Web Development programs in Vista, CA
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Vista, CA
- Machine Learning programs in Vista, CA
- Supply Chain Management programs in Vista, CA
- Data Analytics programs in Vista, CA
- Public Health programs in Vista, CA
- Human Resources programs in Vista, CA
- Project Management programs in Vista, CA
- Special Education programs in Vista, CA
- Homeland Security programs in Vista, CA
- Marketing programs in Vista, CA
- Finance programs in Vista, CA
- Kinesiology programs in Vista, CA
- Sports Management programs in Vista, CA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Vista, CA
- Elementary Education programs in Vista, CA
- Biology programs in Vista, CA
- Communications programs in Vista, CA
- Graphic Design programs in Vista, CA
- Human Services programs in Vista, CA
- MBA programs in Vista, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in Vista, CA
- Nursing programs in Vista, CA
- Business Administration programs in Vista, CA
- Computer Science programs in Vista, CA
- Psychology programs in Vista, CA
- Education programs in Vista, CA
- Engineering programs in Vista, CA
- Technology programs in Vista, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Vista, CA
- Healthcare programs in Vista, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Vista, CA
- Accounting programs in Vista, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Vista, CA
- Social Work programs in Vista, CA
- Counseling programs in Vista, CA
Data verified: August 11, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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