Durham, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering professional writing programs, with tuition ranging from $45,312 to $65,548 per year for indexed programs. Durham has a population of about 288,465. Median household income is $79,234 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 55.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, the top-earning professional writing-related role is Technical Writer at a median $94,520 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Professional Writing Schools to Durham
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer professional writing programs near Durham, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Durham 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 Durham.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,758
Avg net price
$17,303/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 152
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$74,545
Avg net price
$41,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 71
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,886
Avg net price
$24,516/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 84
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
75%
Graduation rate
72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,389
Avg net price
$38,707/yr
TuitionIn‑state$45,312
Out‑of‑state$45,312
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 69
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,139
Avg net price
$18,853/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 51
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$55,146
Avg net price
$15,739/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 82%
- Programs offered: 165
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,289
Avg net price
$15,435/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 122
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,673
Avg net price
$30,857/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 50
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina professional writing page.
Professional Writing Wages Near Durham
Durham is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area (BLS area code 20500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Writer and Author | $84,130 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $86,199 |
| Technical Writer | $94,520 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $96,844 |
| Editor | $80,410 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $82,387 |
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.
Durham at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 288,465 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $79,234 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 55.7% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 97.6 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Durham-Area Cities With Professional Writing Programs
- Chapel Hill, NC – 8.4 mi away (59,246 pop)
- Morrisville, NC – 10.7 mi away (24,732 pop)
- Carrboro, NC – 10.9 mi away (21,265 pop)
- Cary, NC – 14.6 mi away (162,320 pop)
- Apex, NC – 17.8 mi away (47,349 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited professional writing schools are near Durham, NC?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering professional writing programs near Durham. The closest is North Carolina State University at Raleigh in Raleigh, NC (18.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Mount Olive (71.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying professional writing roles near Durham?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying professional writing-related roles near Durham are: Technical Writer ($94,520), Writer and Author ($84,130), Editor ($80,410). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Chapel Hill instead of Durham?
Chapel Hill, NC is 8.4 miles from Durham and has its own set of local professional writing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Durham an affordable place to study professional writing?
Durham’s median household income of $79,234 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Durham while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Professional Writing Programs
Other Programs Available in Durham
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- Finance programs in Durham, NC
- Kinesiology programs in Durham, NC
- Sports Management programs in Durham, NC
- Early Childhood Education programs in Durham, NC
- Elementary Education programs in Durham, NC
- Biology programs in Durham, NC
- Communications programs in Durham, NC
- Graphic Design programs in Durham, NC
- Human Services programs in Durham, NC
- MBA programs in Durham, NC
- Criminal Justice programs in Durham, NC
- Nursing programs in Durham, NC
- Business Administration programs in Durham, NC
- Computer Science programs in Durham, NC
- Psychology programs in Durham, NC
- Education programs in Durham, NC
- Engineering programs in Durham, NC
- Technology programs in Durham, NC
- Liberal Arts programs in Durham, NC
- Healthcare programs in Durham, NC
- Cybersecurity programs in Durham, NC
- Accounting programs in Durham, NC
- Healthcare Administration programs in Durham, NC
- Social Work programs in Durham, NC
- Counseling programs in Durham, NC
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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