Gastonia, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering communications programs, with tuition ranging from $21,300 to $34,923 per year for indexed programs. Gastonia has a population of about 81,632. Median household income is $60,554 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area, the top-earning communications-related role is Public Relations Manager at a median $134,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Communications Schools to Gastonia
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer communications programs near Gastonia, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Gastonia 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 Gastonia.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
45%
Graduation rate
34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,680
Avg net price
$20,894/yr
TuitionIn‑state$21,300
Out‑of‑state$21,300
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 9
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,418
Avg net price
$27,426/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 68%
- Programs offered: 11
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,673
Avg net price
$30,857/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$81,400
Avg net price
$17,379/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 6
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,289
Avg net price
$15,435/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
77%
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,039
Avg net price
$17,674/yr
TuitionIn‑state$34,760
Out‑of‑state$34,760
Key stats- Retention rate: 62%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
85%
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,543
Avg net price
$20,689/yr
TuitionIn‑state$31,900
Out‑of‑state$31,900
Key stats- Retention rate: 73%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$52,649
Avg net price
$20,748/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 69%
- Programs offered: 29
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina communications page.
Communications Wages Near Gastonia
Gastonia is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (BLS area code 16740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Public Relations Specialist | $75,190 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $77,276 |
| Public Relations Manager | $134,990 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $138,736 |
| News Analyst, Reporter and Journalist | $61,360 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $63,063 |
| Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist | $82,930 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $85,231 |
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.
Gastonia at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 81,632 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $60,554 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 27.7% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 97.3 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Gastonia-Area Cities With Communications Programs
- Lincolnton, NC – 15.8 mi away (23,264 pop)
- Charlotte, NC – 20.2 mi away (1,438,351 pop)
- Shelby, NC – 20.3 mi away (27,288 pop)
- Huntersville, NC – 20.6 mi away (54,839 pop)
- Cornelius, NC – 23.0 mi away (28,515 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited communications schools are near Gastonia, NC?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering communications programs near Gastonia. The closest is Johnson C Smith University in Charlotte, NC (18.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Davidson College (25.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying communications roles near Gastonia?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying communications-related roles near Gastonia are: Public Relations Manager ($134,990), Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist ($82,930), Public Relations Specialist ($75,190). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Lincolnton instead of Gastonia?
Lincolnton, NC is 15.8 miles from Gastonia 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.
Is Gastonia an affordable place to study communications?
Gastonia’s median household income of $60,554 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gastonia while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North 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 Communications Programs
Other Programs Available in Gastonia
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Gastonia:
- Marketing programs in Gastonia, NC
- Finance programs in Gastonia, NC
- Kinesiology programs in Gastonia, NC
- Sports Management programs in Gastonia, NC
- Early Childhood Education programs in Gastonia, NC
- Elementary Education programs in Gastonia, NC
- Biology programs in Gastonia, NC
- Graphic Design programs in Gastonia, NC
- Human Services programs in Gastonia, NC
- MBA programs in Gastonia, NC
- Criminal Justice programs in Gastonia, NC
- Nursing programs in Gastonia, NC
- Business Administration programs in Gastonia, NC
- Computer Science programs in Gastonia, NC
- Psychology programs in Gastonia, NC
- Education programs in Gastonia, NC
- Engineering programs in Gastonia, NC
- Technology programs in Gastonia, NC
- Liberal Arts programs in Gastonia, NC
- Healthcare programs in Gastonia, NC
- Cybersecurity programs in Gastonia, NC
- Accounting programs in Gastonia, NC
- Healthcare Administration programs in Gastonia, NC
- Social Work programs in Gastonia, NC
- Counseling programs in Gastonia, NC
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 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.
← Back to Best Online Communications Programs in North Carolina (2026)
