Best Online Business Administration Programs in Charleston, SC (2026)

Charleston, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering business administration programs, with tuition ranging from $4,564 to $11,453 per year for indexed programs. Charleston has a population of about 152,014. Median household income is $90,038 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area, the top-earning business administration-related role is Financial Manager at a median $147,170 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Business Administration Schools to Charleston

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer business administration programs near Charleston. Distances are calculated from Charleston city center.

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 Charleston. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston, SC 1.2 miles from Charleston BOC Score77.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#2

College of Charleston

Charleston, SC 2.6 miles from Charleston BOC Score65.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#3

Trident Technical College

Charleston, SC 8.9 miles from Charleston BOC Score50.6
Published tuition$4,564 - $11,453
Online programsYes

Visit website

#4

Charleston Southern University

Charleston, SC 13.2 miles from Charleston BOC Score35.0
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#5

Technical College of the Lowcountry

Beaufort, SC 50.2 miles from Charleston BOC Score27.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all South Carolina schools on the South Carolina business administration page.


Business Administration Wages Near Charleston

Charleston is part of the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area (BLS area code 16700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$109,260Charleston-North Charleston, SC$108,178
Administrative Services Manager$125,730Charleston-North Charleston, SC$124,485
Financial Manager$147,170Charleston-North Charleston, SC$145,713
Human Resources Manager$127,080Charleston-North Charleston, SC$125,822
Management Analyst$104,650Charleston-North Charleston, SC$103,614
Project Management Specialist$94,730Charleston-North Charleston, SC$93,792
Accountant or Auditor$79,350Charleston-North Charleston, SC$78,564
Training and Development Specialist$70,680Charleston-North Charleston, SC$69,980
Office and Administrative Support Supervisor$65,910Charleston-North Charleston, SC$65,257

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.


Charleston at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population152,014Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$90,038Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+57.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)101.0 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Business Administration-related employment in Charleston County7,659 workers, 1,754 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Charleston-Area Cities With Business Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited business administration schools are near Charleston, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering business administration programs near Charleston. The closest is Citadel Military College of South Carolina in Charleston, SC (1.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Technical College of the Lowcountry (50.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying business administration roles near Charleston?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying business administration-related roles near Charleston are: Financial Manager ($147,170), Human Resources Manager ($127,080), Administrative Services Manager ($125,730). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Hanahan instead of Charleston?

Hanahan, SC is 8.4 miles from Charleston and has its own set of local business administration programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Charleston an affordable place to study business administration?

Charleston’s median household income of $90,038 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Charleston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South 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 Business Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Charleston

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

Data verified: June 11, 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.