Best Hospitality & Tourism Management Schools Near Columbia, TN

Columbia, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering hospitality management programs, with tuition ranging from $42,540 to $62,570 per year for indexed programs. Columbia has a population of about 43,971. Median household income is $61,204 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 23.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area, the top-earning hospitality management-related role is Food Service Manager at a median $69,860 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Hospitality Management Schools to Columbia

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

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN 36.2 miles from Columbia
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,541
Avg net price $24,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 107

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Nashville State Community College

Nashville, TN 37.0 miles from Columbia
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
39.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,519
Avg net price $6,777/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Belmont University

Nashville, TN 38.2 miles from Columbia
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
61.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,930
Avg net price $33,147/yr
Tuition
In‑state$42,540
Out‑of‑state$42,540
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 103

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

#4

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, TN 41.6 miles from Columbia
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,541
Avg net price $13,359/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 106

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jackson

Jackson, TN 105.1 miles from Columbia
  • 2 year
66.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,383
Avg net price $8,472/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Chattanooga State Community College

Chattanooga, TN 108.2 miles from Columbia
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
48.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,598
Avg net price $5,283/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,772
Out‑of‑state$17,756
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42

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

#7

Southwest Tennessee Community College

Memphis, TN 161.9 miles from Columbia
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
35.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,071
Avg net price $4,754/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Pellissippi State Community College

Knoxville, TN 163.1 miles from Columbia
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,440
Avg net price $4,983/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Hospitality Management Wages Near Columbia

Columbia is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area (BLS area code 34980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Lodging Manager$60,840Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$63,178
Food Service Manager$69,860Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$72,544
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner$52,000Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$53,998

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.


Columbia at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population43,971Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$61,204Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+23.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.3 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Columbia-Area Cities With Hospitality Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited hospitality management schools are near Columbia, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering hospitality management programs near Columbia. The closest is Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN (36.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of North Alabama (66.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying hospitality management roles near Columbia?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying hospitality management-related roles near Columbia are: Food Service Manager ($69,860), Lodging Manager ($60,840), Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner ($52,000). 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 Spring Hill instead of Columbia?

Spring Hill, TN is 11.3 miles from Columbia and has its own set of local hospitality management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Columbia an affordable place to study hospitality management?

Columbia’s median household income of $61,204 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Columbia 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 Hospitality Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Columbia

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

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.