Behavioral Health Science Schools Near Santa Barbara, CA

Santa Barbara, California has 2 accredited schools offering behavioral health science programs, with tuition ranging from $1,426 to $20,049 per year for indexed programs. Santa Barbara has a population of about 88,024. Median household income is $101,672 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, the top-earning behavioral health science-related role is Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker at a median $81,240 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Behavioral Health Science Schools to Santa Barbara

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer behavioral health science programs near Santa Barbara, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Barbara city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

No school data available.

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California behavioral health science page.


Behavioral Health Science Wages Near Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is part of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area (BLS area code 42200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$63,010Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$57,914
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$81,240Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$74,669
Social and Community Service Manager$79,920Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$73,456
Social and Human Service Assistant$55,160Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$50,699

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.


Santa Barbara at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population88,024Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$101,672Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+50.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)108.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Barbara-Area Cities With Behavioral Health Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited behavioral health science schools are near Santa Barbara, CA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering behavioral health science programs near Santa Barbara. The closest is Moorpark College in Moorpark, CA (51.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Dominguez Hills (92.3 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying behavioral health science roles near Santa Barbara?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying behavioral health science-related roles near Santa Barbara are: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($81,240), Social and Community Service Manager ($79,920), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($63,010). 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 Goleta instead of Santa Barbara?

Goleta, CA is 8.0 miles from Santa Barbara and has its own set of local behavioral health science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Barbara an affordable place to study behavioral health science?

Santa Barbara’s median household income of $101,672 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Barbara 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 Behavioral Health Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Barbara

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

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.