Best Operations Management Schools Near Van Buren, AR (2026)

Van Buren, Arkansas has 3 accredited schools offering operations management programs, with tuition ranging from $5,774 to $17,290 per year for indexed programs. Van Buren has a population of about 23,545. Median household income is $59,420 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area, the top-earning operations management-related role is Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Manager at a median $83,370 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Operations Management Schools to Van Buren

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

#1

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Fort Smith, AR 4.6 miles from Van Buren BOC Score 63.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,102
Avg net price $10,574/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Arkansas Grantham

LIttle Rock, AR 122.8 miles from Van Buren BOC Score 49.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,496
Avg net price $8,370/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 28%
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Arkansas schools on the Arkansas operations management page.


Operations Management Wages Near Van Buren

Van Buren is part of the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area (BLS area code 22900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$70,330Fort Smith, AR-OK$81,874
Logistician$66,010Fort Smith, AR-OK$76,845
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Manager$83,370Fort Smith, AR-OK$97,055

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.


Van Buren at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population23,545Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$59,420Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+19.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)85.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Van Buren-Area Cities With Operations Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited operations management schools are near Van Buren, AR?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering operations management programs near Van Buren. The closest is University of Arkansas-Fort Smith in Fort Smith, AR (4.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (90.1 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying operations management roles near Van Buren?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying operations management-related roles near Van Buren are: Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Manager ($83,370), General and Operations Manager ($70,330), Logistician ($66,010). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arkansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Fort Smith instead of Van Buren?

Fort Smith, AR is 6.9 miles from Van Buren and has its own set of local operations management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Van Buren an affordable place to study operations management?

Van Buren’s median household income of $59,420 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Van Buren while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arkansas 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 Operations Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Van Buren

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.