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Best Biology Schools Near Columbus, MS (2026)
Updated September 6, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Columbus, Mississippi has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs. Columbus has a population of about 23,616. Median household income is $40,588 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Mississippi, the top-earning biology-related role is Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist at a median $88,710 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Biology Schools to Columbus
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer biology programs near Columbus, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Columbus 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:
BOCSCORE
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 Columbus.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Mississippi schools on the Mississippi biology page.
Biology Wages Near Columbus
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (Mississippi, statewide)
Medical Scientist
$54,040
Biological Technician
$56,930
Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist
$88,710
Soil and Plant Scientist
$72,690
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.
How many accredited biology schools are near Columbus, MS?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs near Columbus. The closest is Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, MS (1.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Itawamba Community College (53.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying biology roles in Mississippi?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying biology-related roles in Mississippi are: Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($88,710), Soil and Plant Scientist ($72,690), Biological Technician ($56,930). Wages for Columbus workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Starkville instead of Columbus?
Starkville, MS is 24.2 miles from Columbus 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 Columbus an affordable place to study biology?
Columbus’s median household income of $40,588 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Columbus while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Mississippi 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.
Data verified: September 6, 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.
