Best Journalism Schools Near Madison, AL (2026)

Madison, Alabama has 8 accredited schools offering journalism programs, with tuition ranging from $3,420 to $42,540 per year for indexed programs. Madison has a population of about 58,335. Median household income is $131,436 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 65.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Huntsville, AL metro area, the top-earning journalism-related role is Public Relations Specialist at a median $73,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Journalism Schools to Madison

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

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

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#1

Oakwood University

Huntsville, AL 6.6 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
32.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,488
Avg net price $25,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Samford University

Birmingham, AL 87.5 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
66.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,469
Avg net price $32,622/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL 113.1 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
69.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 77%
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,221
Avg net price $22,420/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,180
Out‑of‑state$34,172
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 45

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

#4

Stillman College

Tuscaloosa, AL 114.6 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
31.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,421
Avg net price $15,258/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Auburn University

Auburn, AL 162.8 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
76.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,337
Avg net price $24,323/yr
Tuition
In‑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 CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Troy University

Troy, AL 207.0 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
40.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,062
Avg net price $16,527/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of South Alabama

Mobile, AL 289.5 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
48.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,379
Avg net price $17,648/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Journalism Wages Near Madison

Madison is part of the Huntsville, AL metro area (BLS area code 26620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist$43,440AL statewide$46,660
Editor$63,330AL statewide$68,024
Public Relations Specialist$73,810Huntsville, AL$79,280

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.


Madison at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population58,335Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$131,436Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+65.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)93.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Madison-Area Cities With Journalism Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited journalism schools are near Madison, AL?

Our directory has 8 accredited schools offering journalism programs near Madison. The closest is Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL (6.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Southern Adventist University (99.7 miles). 7 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying journalism roles near Madison?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying journalism-related roles near Madison are: Public Relations Specialist ($73,810), 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 Huntsville instead of Madison?

Huntsville, AL is 6.6 miles from Madison 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.

Is Madison an affordable place to study journalism?

Madison’s median household income of $131,436 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Madison while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Alabama 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 Journalism Programs

Other Programs Available in Madison

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

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.