Best Behavioral Health Science Schools Near Harlingen, TX

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Harlingen, Texas is home to about 71,669 residents. Median household income is $55,891 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area, the top-earning behavioral health science-related role is Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor at a median $69,770 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Behavioral Health Science Schools to Harlingen

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

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

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#1

Northwest Vista College

San Antonio, TX 234.8 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
61.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,490
Avg net price $4,525/yr
Tuition
In‑state$3,412
Out‑of‑state$9,952
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Houston Christian University

Houston, TX 276.2 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,933
Avg net price $20,629/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Galveston, TX 279.9 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
97.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,961
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, TX 280.1 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
96.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $88,757
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, TX 280.6 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
95.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $90,232
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX 282.7 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
84.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,121
Avg net price $19,857/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 180

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Houston, TX 283.0 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,004
Avg net price $15,563/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

San Jacinto Community College

Pasadena, TX 286.9 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
54.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,062
Avg net price $12,143/yr
Tuition
In‑state$2,490
Out‑of‑state$6,690
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Behavioral Health Science Wages Near Harlingen

Harlingen is part of the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area (BLS area code 15180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$69,770Brownsville-Harlingen, TX$81,128
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$41,080Brownsville-Harlingen, TX$47,767
Social and Community Service Manager$65,070Brownsville-Harlingen, TX$75,663
Social and Human Service Assistant$45,360Brownsville-Harlingen, TX$52,744

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.

Harlingen at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population71,669Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$55,891Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+21.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)86.0 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Harlingen-Area Cities With Behavioral Health Science Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying behavioral health science-related roles near Harlingen are: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($69,770), Social and Community Service Manager ($65,070), Social and Human Service Assistant ($45,360). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in San Benito instead of Harlingen?

San Benito, TX is 5.4 miles from Harlingen 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 Harlingen an affordable place to study behavioral health science?

Harlingen’s median household income of $55,891 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Harlingen while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Harlingen

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

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.

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