Best Behavioral Health Science Schools Near Amherst, MA (2026)

Amherst, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering behavioral health science programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning behavioral health science-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $81,650 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Behavioral Health Science Schools to Amherst

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer behavioral health 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.

Ranked by BOC Score β€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Worcester State University

Worcester, MA 34.5 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,624
Avg net price $13,381/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, MA 39.7 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,874
Avg net price $14,262/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Lowell, MA 63.3 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,874
Avg net price $17,163/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 97

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Lasell University

Newton, MA 64.5 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,705
Avg net price $27,511/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA 70.9 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
90.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $101,817
Avg net price $19,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 174

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Northern Essex Community College

Haverhill, MA 80.0 miles from Amherst
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,862
Avg net price $6,046/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

North Shore Community College

Danvers, MA 80.0 miles from Amherst
  • 2 year
46.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,391
Avg net price $9,000/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Endicott College

Beverly, MA 85.9 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
63.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 71%
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,336
Avg net price $40,654/yr
Tuition
In‑state$40,650
Out‑of‑state$40,650
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Behavioral Health 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)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$58,810Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$58,693
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$69,960Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$69,820
Social and Community Service Manager$81,650Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$81,487
Social and Human Service Assistant$44,900Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$44,810

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 Behavioral Health Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited behavioral health science schools are near Amherst, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering behavioral health science programs near Amherst. The closest is Worcester State University in Worcester, MA (34.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Hudson Valley Community College (64.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying behavioral health science-related roles near Amherst are: Social and Community Service Manager ($81,650), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($69,960), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($58,810). 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 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.

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 Amherst

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

Data verified: August 31, 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.