Best Fire Science Schools Near Amherst, MA (2026)

Amherst, Massachusetts has 21 accredited schools offering fire science programs, with tuition ranging from $5,338 to $63,550 per year for indexed programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In Massachusetts, the top-earning fire science-related role is Emergency Management Director at a median $123,250 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Fire Science Schools to Amherst

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer fire science programs near Amherst, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Amherst 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:

  • 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 Amherst. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Greenfield Community College

Greenfield, MA 17.4 miles from Amherst BOC Score 54.3
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,132
Avg net price $7,679/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Springfield Technical Community College

Springfield, MA 17.9 miles from Amherst BOC Score 58.4
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,966
Avg net price $5,662/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Anna Maria College

Paxton, MA 30.0 miles from Amherst BOC Score 32.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,651
Avg net price $28,333/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Mount Wachusett Community College

Gardner, MA 31.1 miles from Amherst BOC Score 53.3
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,118
Avg net price $7,931/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Quinsigamond Community College

Worcester, MA 36.5 miles from Amherst BOC Score 58.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,949
Avg net price $9,090/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Berkshire Community College

Pittsfield, MA 41.8 miles from Amherst BOC Score 34.8
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,832
Avg net price $9,921/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Middlesex Community College

Bedford, MA 63.8 miles from Amherst BOC Score 62.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,651
Avg net price $2,624/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Bunker Hill Community College

Boston, MA 73.4 miles from Amherst BOC Score 55.2
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 16%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,618
Avg net price $7,818/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,168
Out‑of‑state$11,112
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts fire science page.


Fire Science Wages Near Amherst

Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Firefighter$59,270Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$59,152
First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$83,790Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$83,623
Fire Inspector and Investigator$81,140MA statewide$80,978
Emergency Management Director$123,250MA statewide$123,004

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.


Amherst at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Amherst-Area Cities With Fire Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited fire science schools are near Amherst, MA?

Our directory has 21 accredited schools offering fire science programs near Amherst. The closest is Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA (17.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is New England College (66.0 miles). 8 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying fire science roles near Amherst?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying fire science-related roles near Amherst are: Emergency Management Director ($123,250), First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($83,790), Fire Inspector and Investigator ($81,140). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?

Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst 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.

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 Amherst

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Amherst:

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.