Best Online Biology Programs in Royal Oak, MI (2026)

Royal Oak, Michigan has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs. Royal Oak has a population of about 57,880. Median household income is $95,182 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 62.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area, the top-earning biology-related role is Medical Scientist at a median $84,310 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Biology Schools to Royal Oak

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

#1

University of Detroit Mercy

Detroit, MI 6.6 miles from Royal Oak BOC Score 77.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,030
Avg net price $15,232/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI 11.1 miles from Royal Oak BOC Score 41.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,707
Avg net price $21,456/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI 11.4 miles from Royal Oak BOC Score 64.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,493
Avg net price $12,766/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, MI 11.9 miles from Royal Oak BOC Score 69.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,612
Avg net price $9,120/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 61

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Henry Ford College

Dearborn, MI 13.4 miles from Royal Oak BOC Score 53.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,795
Avg net price $660/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 110

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Michigan-Dearborn

Dearborn, MI 13.5 miles from Royal Oak BOC Score 71.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,649
Avg net price $9,492/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Madonna University

Livonia, MI 15.5 miles from Royal Oak BOC Score 60.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,058
Avg net price $17,755/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, MI 30.0 miles from Royal Oak BOC Score 50.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,793
Avg net price $15,407/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Michigan schools on the Michigan biology page.


Biology Wages Near Royal Oak

Royal Oak is part of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area (BLS area code 19820). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Michigan statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical Scientist$84,310Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI$84,058
Biological Technician$50,580Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI$50,429
Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist$79,010Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI$78,774
Soil and Plant Scientist$83,370Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI$83,121

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.


Royal Oak at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population57,880Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$95,182Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+62.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.3 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Royal Oak-Area Cities With Biology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited biology schools are near Royal Oak, MI?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs near Royal Oak. The closest is University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, MI (6.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Oakland University (11.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying biology roles near Royal Oak?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying biology-related roles near Royal Oak are: Medical Scientist ($84,310), Soil and Plant Scientist ($83,370), Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($79,010). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Michigan statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Madison Heights instead of Royal Oak?

Madison Heights, MI is 2.6 miles from Royal Oak and has its own set of local biology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Royal Oak an affordable place to study biology?

Royal Oak’s median household income of $95,182 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Royal Oak while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Michigan 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 Biology Programs

Other Programs Available in Royal Oak

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

Data verified: July 30, 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.