Best Emergency Management Schools Near Bristol, TN (2026)

Bristol, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering emergency management programs, with tuition ranging from $2,032 to $32,280 per year for indexed programs. Bristol has a population of about 27,490. Median household income is $55,007 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Tennessee, the top-earning emergency management-related role is Emergency Management Director at a median $81,800 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Emergency Management Schools to Bristol

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer emergency management programs near Bristol, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bristol 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:

  • 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 Bristol. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Lee University

Cleveland, TN 177.1 miles from Bristol BOC Score 48.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,222
Avg net price $18,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, TN 185.2 miles from Bristol BOC Score 61.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,501
Avg net price $14,246/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

The University of Tennessee Southern

Pulaski, TN 285.7 miles from Bristol BOC Score 38.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,924
Avg net price $12,798/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Bethel University

McKenzie, TN 351.7 miles from Bristol BOC Score 39.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 60%
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,482
Avg net price $12,595/yr
Tuition
In‑state$18,712
Out‑of‑state$18,712
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Tennessee schools on the Tennessee emergency management page.


Emergency Management Wages Near Bristol

Bristol is part of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area (BLS area code 28700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Emergency Management Director$81,800TN statewide$94,676
Firefighter$44,110Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA$51,053
Emergency Medical Technician$36,680Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA$42,454
First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$62,500Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA$72,338

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.


Bristol at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population27,490Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$55,007Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+29.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)86.4 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Bristol-Area Cities With Emergency Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited emergency management schools are near Bristol, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering emergency management programs near Bristol. The closest is Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, NC (63.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Brevard College (95.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying emergency management roles near Bristol?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying emergency management-related roles near Bristol are: Emergency Management Director ($81,800), First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($62,500), Firefighter ($44,110). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Johnson City instead of Bristol?

Johnson City, TN is 17.6 miles from Bristol and has its own set of local emergency management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Bristol an affordable place to study emergency management?

Bristol’s median household income of $55,007 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bristol while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 Emergency Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Bristol

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

Data verified: August 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.