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Best Digital Forensics Schools Near Decatur, AL (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Decatur, Alabama has 1 accredited school offering digital forensics programs, with tuition ranging from $9,098 to $28,145 per year for indexed programs. Decatur has a population of about 57,974. In the Decatur, AL metro area, the top-earning digital forensics-related role is Information Security Analysts at a median $130,400 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Digital Forensics Schools to Decatur
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer digital forensics programs near Decatur, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Decatur 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 Decatur.
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.
Decatur is part of the Decatur, AL metro area (BLS area code 19460). 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)
Information Security Analysts
$130,400
Decatur, AL
$149,541
Computer Occupations, All Other
$106,330
AL statewide
$121,938
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
$66,290
AL statewide
$76,021
Forensic Science Technicians
$59,560
AL statewide
$68,303
Computer Systems Analysts
$99,740
Decatur, AL
$114,381
Computer Network Support Specialists
$61,890
AL statewide
$70,975
Private Detectives and Investigators
$46,810
AL statewide
$53,681
Network and Computer Systems Administrators
$79,500
Decatur, AL
$91,170
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.
Decatur at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
87.2 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Decatur-Area Cities With Digital Forensics Programs
How many accredited digital forensics schools are near Decatur, AL?
Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering digital forensics programs near Decatur. The closest is University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL (74.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Alabama at Birmingham (74.5 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying digital forensics roles near Decatur?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying digital forensics-related roles near Decatur are: Information Security Analysts ($130,400), Computer Occupations, All Other ($106,330), Computer Systems Analysts ($99,740). 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 Athens instead of Decatur?
Athens, AL is 14.7 miles from Decatur and has its own set of local digital forensics 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.
Data verified: September 7, 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.
