Best Behavioral Health Science Schools Near Durham, NC (2026)

Durham, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering behavioral health science programs. Durham has a population of about 288,465. Median household income is $79,234 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 55.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, the top-earning behavioral health science-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $81,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Behavioral Health Science Schools to Durham

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer behavioral health science programs near Durham, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Durham 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 Durham. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

Duke University

Durham, NC 2.4 miles from Durham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
82.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $97,800
Avg net price $29,612/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 144

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Behavioral Health Science Wages Near Durham

Durham is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area (BLS area code 20500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$59,560Durham-Chapel Hill, NC$61,025
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$60,390Durham-Chapel Hill, NC$61,875
Social and Community Service Manager$81,940Durham-Chapel Hill, NC$83,955
Social and Human Service Assistant$45,490Durham-Chapel Hill, NC$46,609

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.


Durham at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population288,465Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$79,234Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+55.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.6 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Durham-Area Cities With Behavioral Health Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited behavioral health science schools are near Durham, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering behavioral health science programs near Durham. The closest is Duke University in Durham, NC (2.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is East Carolina University (89.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying behavioral health science-related roles near Durham are: Social and Community Service Manager ($81,940), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($60,390), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($59,560). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Chapel Hill instead of Durham?

Chapel Hill, NC is 8.4 miles from Durham 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 Durham an affordable place to study behavioral health science?

Durham’s median household income of $79,234 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Durham while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Durham

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.