Birmingham, Alabama has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $9,098 to $28,145 per year for indexed programs. Birmingham has a population of about 196,357. In the Birmingham, AL metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $108,220 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Birmingham
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Birmingham, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Birmingham 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 Birmingham.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
88%
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,501
Avg net price
$18,749/yr
TuitionIn‑state$9,098
Out‑of‑state$22,562
Key stats- Retention rate: 81%
- Programs offered: 130
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · 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: 90
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,909
Avg net price
$19,651/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 57%
- Programs offered: 15
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$31,701
Avg net price
$6,275/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,719
Avg net price
$9,086/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama liberal arts page.
Liberal Arts Wages Near Birmingham
Birmingham is part of the Birmingham, AL metro area (BLS area code 13820). 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) |
|---|
| Public Relations Specialist | $64,880 | Birmingham, AL | $70,830 |
| Management Analyst | $108,220 | Birmingham, AL | $118,144 |
| Technical Writer | $82,870 | Birmingham, AL | $90,469 |
| News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist | $47,260 | Birmingham, AL | $51,594 |
| Editor | $72,650 | Birmingham, AL | $79,312 |
| Training and Development Specialist | $71,040 | Birmingham, AL | $77,555 |
| Human Resources Specialist | $67,880 | Birmingham, AL | $74,105 |
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.
Birmingham at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 91.6 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
| Liberal Arts-related employment in Jefferson County | 1,394 workers, 110 establishments | BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Birmingham-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs
- Mountain Brook, AL – 4.3 mi away (20,590 pop)
- Homewood, AL – 4.6 mi away (25,613 pop)
- Vestavia Hills, AL – 6.1 mi away (34,688 pop)
- Hoover, AL – 10.5 mi away (84,978 pop)
- Trussville, AL – 14.5 mi away (21,422 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Birmingham, AL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Birmingham. The closest is University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL (1.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lawson State Community College (7.5 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles near Birmingham?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Birmingham are: Management Analyst ($108,220), Technical Writer ($82,870), Editor ($72,650). 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 Mountain Brook instead of Birmingham?
Mountain Brook, AL is 4.3 miles from Birmingham and has its own set of local liberal arts 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 Liberal Arts Programs
Other Programs Available in Birmingham
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Birmingham:
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- Criminology programs in Birmingham, AL
- Cybercrime programs in Birmingham, AL
- Emergency Management programs in Birmingham, AL
- Fire Science programs in Birmingham, AL
- Forensic Science programs in Birmingham, AL
- Legal Services programs in Birmingham, AL
- Legal Studies programs in Birmingham, AL
- Paralegal programs in Birmingham, AL
- Security Management programs in Birmingham, AL
- Cloud Computing programs in Birmingham, AL
- Computer Engineering programs in Birmingham, AL
- Innovation programs in Birmingham, AL
- Mobile App Development programs in Birmingham, AL
- Software Development programs in Birmingham, AL
- User Experience programs in Birmingham, AL
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- Artificial Intelligence programs in Birmingham, AL
- Machine Learning programs in Birmingham, AL
- Supply Chain Management programs in Birmingham, AL
- Data Analytics programs in Birmingham, AL
- Public Health programs in Birmingham, AL
- Human Resources programs in Birmingham, AL
- Project Management programs in Birmingham, AL
- Special Education programs in Birmingham, AL
- Homeland Security programs in Birmingham, AL
- Marketing programs in Birmingham, AL
- Finance programs in Birmingham, AL
- Kinesiology programs in Birmingham, AL
- Sports Management programs in Birmingham, AL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Birmingham, AL
- Elementary Education programs in Birmingham, AL
- Biology programs in Birmingham, AL
- Communications programs in Birmingham, AL
- Graphic Design programs in Birmingham, AL
- Human Services programs in Birmingham, AL
- MBA programs in Birmingham, AL
- Criminal Justice programs in Birmingham, AL
- Nursing programs in Birmingham, AL
- Business Administration programs in Birmingham, AL
- Computer Science programs in Birmingham, AL
- Psychology programs in Birmingham, AL
- Education programs in Birmingham, AL
- Engineering programs in Birmingham, AL
- Technology programs in Birmingham, AL
- Healthcare programs in Birmingham, AL
- Cybersecurity programs in Birmingham, AL
- Accounting programs in Birmingham, AL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Birmingham, AL
- Social Work programs in Birmingham, AL
- Counseling programs in Birmingham, AL
Data verified: August 31, 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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