Best Journalism Schools Near Panama City, FL (2026)

Panama City, Florida has 1 accredited school offering journalism programs, with tuition ranging from $5,785 to $17,725 per year for indexed programs. Panama City has a population of about 34,211. Median household income is $61,125 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Florida, the top-earning journalism-related role is Editor at a median $73,950 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Journalism Schools to Panama City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer journalism programs near Panama City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Panama City 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 Panama City. 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

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Tallahassee, FL 80.9 miles from Panama City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
61.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,349
Avg net price $13,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL 199.8 miles from Panama City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
93.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,588
Avg net price $6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Florida-Online

Gainesville, FL 200.6 miles from Panama City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
83.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,588
Avg net price $4,815/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of South Florida

Tampa, FL 243.1 miles from Panama City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
81.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 43%
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,743
Avg net price $9,812/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,410
Out‑of‑state$17,324
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 63

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

#5

The University of Tampa

Tampa, FL 245.8 miles from Panama City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
58.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 40%
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,436
Avg net price $36,211/yr
Tuition
In‑state$34,408
Out‑of‑state$34,408
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 36

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

#6

Flagler College

Saint Augustine, FL 258.0 miles from Panama City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
44.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,483
Avg net price $30,525/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Southeastern University

Lakeland, FL 268.8 miles from Panama City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
32.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 53%
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,744
Avg net price $31,942/yr
Tuition
In‑state$32,950
Out‑of‑state$32,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 39

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

#8

Full Sail University

Winter Park, FL 282.2 miles from Panama City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
22.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,219
Avg net price $38,875/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 59%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Journalism Wages Near Panama City

Panama City is part of the Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL metro area (BLS area code 37460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist$41,470Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL$42,621
Editor$73,950FL statewide$76,002
Public Relations Specialist$62,740Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL$64,481

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.


Panama City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population34,211Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$61,125Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+25.5%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.3 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Panama City-Area Cities With Journalism Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited journalism schools are near Panama City, FL?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering journalism programs near Panama City. The closest is Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, FL (80.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (80.6 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying journalism roles near Panama City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying journalism-related roles near Panama City are: Editor ($73,950), Public Relations Specialist ($62,740), News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist ($41,470). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Lynn Haven instead of Panama City?

Lynn Haven, FL is 3.0 miles from Panama City 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 Panama City an affordable place to study journalism?

Panama City’s median household income of $61,125 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Panama City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida 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 Panama City

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

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.