Best Professional Writing Schools Near Nashville, TN (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Nashville, Tennessee has 4 accredited schools offering professional writing programs. Nashville has a population of about 1,065,078. In the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area, the top-earning professional writing-related role is Technical Writer at a median $79,550 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Professional Writing Schools to Nashville

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

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, TN 32.6 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,541
Avg net price $13,359/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 106

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville, TN 71.4 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,501
Avg net price $14,246/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Maryville College

Maryville, TN 160.4 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,279
Avg net price $19,360/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, TN 246.3 miles from Nashville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,859
Avg net price $15,983/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 97

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Tennessee schools on the Tennessee professional writing page.

Professional Writing Wages Near Nashville

Nashville is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area (BLS area code 34980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Writer and Author$63,270Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$65,701
Technical Writer$79,550Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$82,606
Editor$64,250Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$66,719

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.

Nashville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.3 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Nashville-Area Cities With Professional Writing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited professional writing schools are near Nashville, TN?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering professional writing programs near Nashville. The closest is Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN (32.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Oakwood University (98.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying professional writing roles near Nashville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying professional writing-related roles near Nashville are: Technical Writer ($79,550), Editor ($64,250), Writer and Author ($63,270). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Brentwood instead of Nashville?

Brentwood, TN is 12.4 miles from Nashville 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.

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 Nashville

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

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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