Athens, Alabama has 5 accredited schools offering communications programs, with tuition ranging from $10,024 to $27,392 per year for indexed programs. Athens has a population of about 32,587. In the Huntsville, AL metro area, the top-earning communications-related role is Public Relations Manager at a median $138,130 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Communications Schools to Athens
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer communications programs near Athens, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Athens 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 Athens.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,488
Avg net price
$25,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 41
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
69%
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,767
Avg net price
$18,796/yr
TuitionIn‑state$12,132
Out‑of‑state$26,408
Key stats- Retention rate: 82%
- Programs offered: 62
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
58%
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,628
Avg net price
$17,621/yr
TuitionIn‑state$10,024
Out‑of‑state$18,634
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 46
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,415
Avg net price
$12,170/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 66
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
88%
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,501
Avg net price
$18,749/yr
TuitionIn‑state$9,098
Out‑of‑state$22,562
Key stats- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 130
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$32,627
Avg net price
$14,271/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 56%
- Programs offered: 21
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,469
Avg net price
$32,622/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 90
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,235
Avg net price
$14,279/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 64%
- Programs offered: 54
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama communications page.
Communications Wages Near Athens
Athens is part of the Huntsville, AL metro area (BLS area code 26620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Public Relations Specialist | $73,810 | Huntsville, AL | $79,280 |
| Public Relations Manager | $138,130 | Huntsville, AL | $148,367 |
| News Analyst, Reporter and Journalist | $43,440 | AL statewide | $46,660 |
| Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist | $59,230 | Huntsville, AL | $63,620 |
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.
Athens at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 93.1 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Athens-Area Cities With Communications Programs
- Madison, AL – 11.8 mi away (47,959 pop)
- Decatur, AL – 14.7 mi away (57,974 pop)
- Huntsville, AL – 18.3 mi away (230,402 pop)
- Florence, AL – 40.6 mi away (42,716 pop)
- Cullman, AL – 42.4 mi away (20,239 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited communications schools are near Athens, AL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering communications programs near Athens. The closest is Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL (17.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Middle Tennessee State University (80.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying communications roles near Athens?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying communications-related roles near Athens are: Public Relations Manager ($138,130), Public Relations Specialist ($73,810), Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist ($59,230). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Alabama statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Madison instead of Athens?
Madison, AL is 11.8 miles from Athens and has its own set of local communications programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
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 Communications Programs
Other Programs Available in Athens
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Athens:
- Medical Billing and Coding programs in Athens, AL
- Medical Assistant programs in Athens, AL
- Pharmacy Technician programs in Athens, AL
- Health Science programs in Athens, AL
- Occupational Safety and Health programs in Athens, AL
- Entrepreneurship programs in Athens, AL
- Interior Design programs in Athens, AL
- Photography programs in Athens, AL
- Sustainability Management programs in Athens, AL
- Behavioral Health Science programs in Athens, AL
- Mental Health Counseling programs in Athens, AL
- Substance Abuse Counseling programs in Athens, AL
- Journalism programs in Athens, AL
- Public Relations programs in Athens, AL
- Communication Disorders programs in Athens, AL
- Speech Pathology programs in Athens, AL
- Technical Communication programs in Athens, AL
- Professional Writing programs in Athens, AL
- Strategic Communications programs in Athens, AL
- Business Development programs in Athens, AL
- Construction Management programs in Athens, AL
- Economics programs in Athens, AL
- Financial Technology programs in Athens, AL
- Forensic Accounting programs in Athens, AL
- Health Information Management programs in Athens, AL
- Hospitality Management programs in Athens, AL
- International Business programs in Athens, AL
- Organizational Leadership programs in Athens, AL
- Management Information Systems programs in Athens, AL
- Nonprofit Management programs in Athens, AL
- Operations Management programs in Athens, AL
- Public Administration programs in Athens, AL
- Real Estate programs in Athens, AL
- Recreation Management programs in Athens, AL
- Retail Management programs in Athens, AL
- Risk Management programs in Athens, AL
- Statistics programs in Athens, AL
- Taxation programs in Athens, AL
- Corrections programs in Athens, AL
- Crime Analysis programs in Athens, AL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Athens, AL
- Criminology programs in Athens, AL
- Cybercrime programs in Athens, AL
- Emergency Management programs in Athens, AL
- Fire Science programs in Athens, AL
- Forensic Science programs in Athens, AL
- Legal Services programs in Athens, AL
- Legal Studies programs in Athens, AL
- Paralegal programs in Athens, AL
- Security Management programs in Athens, AL
- Cloud Computing programs in Athens, AL
- Computer Engineering programs in Athens, AL
- Innovation programs in Athens, AL
- Mobile App Development programs in Athens, AL
- Software Development programs in Athens, AL
- User Experience programs in Athens, AL
- Web Development programs in Athens, AL
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Athens, AL
- Machine Learning programs in Athens, AL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Athens, AL
- Data Analytics programs in Athens, AL
- Public Health programs in Athens, AL
- Human Resources programs in Athens, AL
- Project Management programs in Athens, AL
- Special Education programs in Athens, AL
- Homeland Security programs in Athens, AL
- Marketing programs in Athens, AL
- Finance programs in Athens, AL
- Kinesiology programs in Athens, AL
- Sports Management programs in Athens, AL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Athens, AL
- Elementary Education programs in Athens, AL
- Biology programs in Athens, AL
- Graphic Design programs in Athens, AL
- Human Services programs in Athens, AL
- MBA programs in Athens, AL
- Criminal Justice programs in Athens, AL
- Nursing programs in Athens, AL
- Business Administration programs in Athens, AL
- Computer Science programs in Athens, AL
- Psychology programs in Athens, AL
- Education programs in Athens, AL
- Engineering programs in Athens, AL
- Technology programs in Athens, AL
- Liberal Arts programs in Athens, AL
- Healthcare programs in Athens, AL
- Cybersecurity programs in Athens, AL
- Accounting programs in Athens, AL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Athens, AL
- Social Work programs in Athens, AL
- Counseling programs in Athens, AL
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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