Decatur, Alabama has 5 accredited schools offering journalism programs, with tuition ranging from $3,420 to $40,150 per year for indexed programs. Decatur has a population of about 57,974. In the Decatur, AL metro area, the top-earning journalism-related role is Public Relations Specialist at a median $63,780 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Journalism Schools to Decatur
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer journalism 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.
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,488
Avg net price
$25,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,469
Avg net price
$32,622/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
77%
Graduation rate
74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,221
Avg net price
$22,420/yr
TuitionIn‑state$12,180
Out‑of‑state$34,172
Key stats- Retention rate: 88%
- Programs offered: 45
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$35,421
Avg net price
$15,258/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 63%
- Programs offered: 6
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
46%
Graduation rate
81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$65,337
Avg net price
$24,323/yr
TuitionIn‑state$12,890
Out‑of‑state$34,922
Key stats- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 52
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,062
Avg net price
$16,527/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 33
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,379
Avg net price
$17,648/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama journalism page.
Journalism Wages Near Decatur
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) |
|---|
| News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist | $43,440 | AL statewide | $49,817 |
| Editor | $63,330 | AL statewide | $72,626 |
| Public Relations Specialist | $63,780 | Decatur, AL | $73,142 |
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 Journalism Programs
- Athens, AL – 14.7 mi away (32,587 pop)
- Madison, AL – 16.1 mi away (47,959 pop)
- Huntsville, AL – 21.4 mi away (230,402 pop)
- Cullman, AL – 28.7 mi away (20,239 pop)
- Florence, AL – 42.2 mi away (42,716 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited journalism schools are near Decatur, AL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering journalism programs near Decatur. The closest is Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL (23.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is The University of Alabama (99.3 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying journalism roles near Decatur?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying journalism-related roles near Decatur are: Public Relations Specialist ($63,780), Editor ($63,330), News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist ($43,440). 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 journalism 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.
Learn More About Journalism Programs
Other Programs Available in Decatur
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Decatur:
- Public Relations programs in Decatur, AL
- Communication Disorders programs in Decatur, AL
- Speech Pathology programs in Decatur, AL
- Technical Communication programs in Decatur, AL
- Professional Writing programs in Decatur, AL
- Strategic Communications programs in Decatur, AL
- Business Development programs in Decatur, AL
- Construction Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Economics programs in Decatur, AL
- Financial Technology programs in Decatur, AL
- Forensic Accounting programs in Decatur, AL
- Health Information Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Hospitality Management programs in Decatur, AL
- International Business programs in Decatur, AL
- Organizational Leadership programs in Decatur, AL
- Management Information Systems programs in Decatur, AL
- Nonprofit Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Operations Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Public Administration programs in Decatur, AL
- Real Estate programs in Decatur, AL
- Recreation Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Retail Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Risk Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Statistics programs in Decatur, AL
- Taxation programs in Decatur, AL
- Corrections programs in Decatur, AL
- Crime Analysis programs in Decatur, AL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Decatur, AL
- Criminology programs in Decatur, AL
- Cybercrime programs in Decatur, AL
- Emergency Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Fire Science programs in Decatur, AL
- Forensic Science programs in Decatur, AL
- Legal Services programs in Decatur, AL
- Legal Studies programs in Decatur, AL
- Paralegal programs in Decatur, AL
- Security Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Cloud Computing programs in Decatur, AL
- Computer Engineering programs in Decatur, AL
- Innovation programs in Decatur, AL
- Mobile App Development programs in Decatur, AL
- Software Development programs in Decatur, AL
- User Experience programs in Decatur, AL
- Web Development programs in Decatur, AL
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Decatur, AL
- Machine Learning programs in Decatur, AL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Data Analytics programs in Decatur, AL
- Public Health programs in Decatur, AL
- Human Resources programs in Decatur, AL
- Project Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Special Education programs in Decatur, AL
- Homeland Security programs in Decatur, AL
- Marketing programs in Decatur, AL
- Finance programs in Decatur, AL
- Kinesiology programs in Decatur, AL
- Sports Management programs in Decatur, AL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Decatur, AL
- Elementary Education programs in Decatur, AL
- Biology programs in Decatur, AL
- Communications programs in Decatur, AL
- Graphic Design programs in Decatur, AL
- Human Services programs in Decatur, AL
- MBA programs in Decatur, AL
- Criminal Justice programs in Decatur, AL
- Nursing programs in Decatur, AL
- Business Administration programs in Decatur, AL
- Computer Science programs in Decatur, AL
- Psychology programs in Decatur, AL
- Education programs in Decatur, AL
- Engineering programs in Decatur, AL
- Technology programs in Decatur, AL
- Liberal Arts programs in Decatur, AL
- Healthcare programs in Decatur, AL
- Cybersecurity programs in Decatur, AL
- Accounting programs in Decatur, AL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Decatur, AL
- Social Work programs in Decatur, AL
- Counseling programs in Decatur, AL
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.
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