Best Online Human Services Programs in Melrose, MA (2026)

Melrose, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering human services programs, with tuition ranging from $6,168 to $34,072 per year for indexed programs. Melrose has a population of about 29,488. Median household income is $126,854 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 62.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, the top-earning human services-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $85,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Human Services Schools to Melrose

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

#1

Cambridge College

Boston, MA 5.2 miles from Melrose BOC Score 35.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,998
Avg net price $31,072/yr
Tuition
In‑state$18,378
Out‑of‑state$18,378
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Lesley University

Cambridge, MA 6.0 miles from Melrose BOC Score 46.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,173
Avg net price $31,152/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Fisher College

Boston, MA 7.0 miles from Melrose BOC Score 29.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,669
Avg net price $26,649/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 55%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Emmanuel College

Boston, MA 7.8 miles from Melrose BOC Score 66.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 76%
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,245
Avg net price $26,706/yr
Tuition
In‑state$48,550
Out‑of‑state$48,550
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Northeastern University

Boston, MA 8.1 miles from Melrose BOC Score 80.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
Avg net price $30,915/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Northeastern University Professional Programs

Boston, MA 8.1 miles from Melrose BOC Score 79.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Quincy College

Quincy, MA 14.3 miles from Melrose BOC Score 49.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,506
Avg net price $17,126/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, MA 38.3 miles from Melrose BOC Score 57.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,874
Avg net price $14,262/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts human services page.


Human Services Wages Near Melrose

Melrose is part of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (BLS area code 14460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Social and Human Service Assistant$47,530Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$43,887
Social and Community Service Manager$85,430Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$78,883
Child, Family and School Social Worker$77,420Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$71,487
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor$62,130Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$57,368

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.


Melrose at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population29,488Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$126,854Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+62.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)108.3 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Melrose-Area Cities With Human Services Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited human services schools are near Melrose, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering human services programs near Melrose. The closest is Cambridge College in Boston, MA (5.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Urban College of Boston (7.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying human services roles near Melrose?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying human services-related roles near Melrose are: Social and Community Service Manager ($85,430), Child, Family and School Social Worker ($77,420), Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor ($62,130). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Malden instead of Melrose?

Malden, MA is 1.7 miles from Melrose and has its own set of local human services programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Melrose an affordable place to study human services?

Melrose’s median household income of $126,854 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Melrose while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Massachusetts 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 Human Services Programs

Other Programs Available in Melrose

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

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.