Opelika, Alabama has 6 accredited schools offering journalism programs, with tuition ranging from $5,526 to $40,150 per year for indexed programs. Opelika has a population of about 35,005. In the Auburn-Opelika, AL metro area, the top-earning journalism-related role is Public Relations Specialist at a median $63,920 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Journalism Schools to Opelika
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer journalism programs near Opelika, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Opelika 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 Opelika.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
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
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
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
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 Opelika
Opelika is part of the Auburn-Opelika, AL metro area (BLS area code 12220). 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 | $49,420 |
| Editor | $63,330 | AL statewide | $72,048 |
| Public Relations Specialist | $63,920 | Auburn-Opelika, AL | $72,719 |
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.
Opelika at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 87.9 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Opelika-Area Cities With Journalism Programs
- Auburn, AL – 7.5 mi away (88,379 pop)
- Valley, AL – 15.4 mi away (20,441 pop)
- Phenix City, AL – 24.9 mi away (38,509 pop)
- Columbus, GA – 31.0 mi away (263,737 pop)
- LaGrange, GA – 32.0 mi away (33,564 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited journalism schools are near Opelika, AL?
Our directory has 6 accredited schools offering journalism programs near Opelika. The closest is Auburn University in Auburn, AL (7.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Samford University (98.9 miles). 6 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying journalism roles near Opelika?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying journalism-related roles near Opelika are: Public Relations Specialist ($63,920), 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 Auburn instead of Opelika?
Auburn, AL is 7.5 miles from Opelika 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 Opelika
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Opelika:
- Public Relations programs in Opelika, AL
- Communication Disorders programs in Opelika, AL
- Speech Pathology programs in Opelika, AL
- Technical Communication programs in Opelika, AL
- Professional Writing programs in Opelika, AL
- Strategic Communications programs in Opelika, AL
- Business Development programs in Opelika, AL
- Construction Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Economics programs in Opelika, AL
- Financial Technology programs in Opelika, AL
- Forensic Accounting programs in Opelika, AL
- Health Information Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Hospitality Management programs in Opelika, AL
- International Business programs in Opelika, AL
- Organizational Leadership programs in Opelika, AL
- Management Information Systems programs in Opelika, AL
- Nonprofit Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Operations Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Public Administration programs in Opelika, AL
- Real Estate programs in Opelika, AL
- Recreation Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Retail Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Risk Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Statistics programs in Opelika, AL
- Taxation programs in Opelika, AL
- Corrections programs in Opelika, AL
- Crime Analysis programs in Opelika, AL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Opelika, AL
- Criminology programs in Opelika, AL
- Cybercrime programs in Opelika, AL
- Emergency Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Fire Science programs in Opelika, AL
- Forensic Science programs in Opelika, AL
- Legal Services programs in Opelika, AL
- Legal Studies programs in Opelika, AL
- Paralegal programs in Opelika, AL
- Security Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Cloud Computing programs in Opelika, AL
- Computer Engineering programs in Opelika, AL
- Innovation programs in Opelika, AL
- Mobile App Development programs in Opelika, AL
- Software Development programs in Opelika, AL
- User Experience programs in Opelika, AL
- Web Development programs in Opelika, AL
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Opelika, AL
- Machine Learning programs in Opelika, AL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Data Analytics programs in Opelika, AL
- Public Health programs in Opelika, AL
- Human Resources programs in Opelika, AL
- Project Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Special Education programs in Opelika, AL
- Homeland Security programs in Opelika, AL
- Marketing programs in Opelika, AL
- Finance programs in Opelika, AL
- Kinesiology programs in Opelika, AL
- Sports Management programs in Opelika, AL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Opelika, AL
- Elementary Education programs in Opelika, AL
- Biology programs in Opelika, AL
- Communications programs in Opelika, AL
- Graphic Design programs in Opelika, AL
- Human Services programs in Opelika, AL
- MBA programs in Opelika, AL
- Criminal Justice programs in Opelika, AL
- Nursing programs in Opelika, AL
- Business Administration programs in Opelika, AL
- Computer Science programs in Opelika, AL
- Psychology programs in Opelika, AL
- Education programs in Opelika, AL
- Engineering programs in Opelika, AL
- Technology programs in Opelika, AL
- Liberal Arts programs in Opelika, AL
- Healthcare programs in Opelika, AL
- Cybersecurity programs in Opelika, AL
- Accounting programs in Opelika, AL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Opelika, AL
- Social Work programs in Opelika, AL
- Counseling programs in Opelika, 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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