Already a Firefighter?
Consider our online courses to an AAS degree. Your experience counts!
If you have completed the following training — certified by a State or Federal agency, or by an accredited institution of higher education — the following certificates and or credits can be applied toward an AAS Fire Science Technology at no cost to you.
- EMT = 12 credits (satisfying the 12 credit requirement for Technical Electives)
- Firefighter I = 9 credits
- Hazardous Materials Awareness/Operations = 3 credits
It is very common for career firefighters to have all 3 of these certifications. If this is true for you, you may earn 24 credits of a 60 credit degree upon applying to PCC. These classes are automatic transfers and are no cost to the student.
There are other life experiences that could qualify for credit; however, there may be a fee for doing a prior learning assessment (PLA) to determine whether or not they apply. There is also an additional fee per credit if the PLA is accepted. If you have taken required core classes (English, math, etc.) at other colleges/universities, those could also transfer to PCC (transcripts will be needed). You must complete 15 credits through PCC to get the AAS degree here; if you qualify, the the rest could be PLA credits.
PCC will be offering the Firefighter I and HazMat Awareness/Operations courses in hybrid format (classroom portion online then a two week hands-on course at the Pueblo campus). All the other courses will be offered online.