Best Online Healthcare Programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL (2026)

Fort Walton Beach, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare programs, with tuition ranging from $2,348 to $9,718 per year for indexed programs. Fort Walton Beach has a population of about 20,956. Median household income is $66,556 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area, the top-earning healthcare-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $106,970 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Healthcare Schools to Fort Walton Beach

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer healthcare programs near Fort Walton Beach, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fort Walton Beach 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 Fort Walton Beach. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Northwest Florida State College

Niceville, FL 10.3 miles from Fort Walton Beach BOC Score 67.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,664
Avg net price $4,571/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 83

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Pensacola State College

Pensacola, FL 34.9 miles from Fort Walton Beach BOC Score 61.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,739
Avg net price $3,957/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Gulf Coast State College

Panama City, FL 55.8 miles from Fort Walton Beach BOC Score 64.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,359
Avg net price $4,709/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Chipola College

Marianna, FL 86.3 miles from Fort Walton Beach BOC Score 64.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,378
Avg net price $1,133/yr
Tuition
In‑state$3,120
Out‑of‑state$8,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

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

#5

Tallahassee State College

Tallahassee, FL 135.8 miles from Fort Walton Beach BOC Score 58.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,561
Avg net price $7,781/yr
Tuition
In‑state$2,026
Out‑of‑state$8,062
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 78

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

#6

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Tallahassee, FL 139.0 miles from Fort Walton Beach BOC Score 61.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,349
Avg net price $13,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

North Florida College

Madison, FL 190.6 miles from Fort Walton Beach BOC Score 67.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $33,929
Avg net price $804/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Florida Gateway College

Lake City, FL 240.6 miles from Fort Walton Beach BOC Score 63.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,894
Avg net price $5,364/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida healthcare page.


Healthcare Wages Near Fort Walton Beach

Fort Walton Beach is part of the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area (BLS area code 18880). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical and Health Services Manager$106,970Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$110,278
Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar$76,950FL statewide$79,330
Medical Records Specialist$48,380Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$49,876
Medical Secretary or Administrative Assistant$39,530Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$40,753
Healthcare Social Worker$67,030Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL$69,103
Epidemiologist$79,460FL statewide$81,918

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.


Fort Walton Beach at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population20,956Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$66,556Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+27.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.0 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Healthcare-related employment in Okaloosa County10,033 workers, 776 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Fort Walton Beach-Area Cities With Healthcare Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited healthcare schools are near Fort Walton Beach, FL?

Accredited schools offering healthcare programs near Fort Walton Beach are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.

What are the highest-paying healthcare roles near Fort Walton Beach?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying healthcare-related roles near Fort Walton Beach are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($106,970), Epidemiologist ($79,460), Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar ($76,950). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Crestview instead of Fort Walton Beach?

Crestview, FL is 22.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach and has its own set of local healthcare programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Fort Walton Beach an affordable place to study healthcare?

Fort Walton Beach’s median household income of $66,556 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Walton Beach while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida 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 Healthcare Programs

Other Programs Available in Fort Walton Beach

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fort Walton Beach:

Data verified: July 23, 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.