Best Online Project Management Programs in Palm Desert, CA (2026)

Palm Desert, California has 4 accredited schools offering project management programs, with tuition ranging from $11,960 to $76,630 per year for indexed programs. Palm Desert has a population of about 51,551. Median household income is $79,508 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 39.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, the top-earning project management-related role is Computer and Information Systems Manager at a median $176,320 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Project Management Schools to Palm Desert

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

#1

Elite Cosmetology School

PALM DESERT, CA 1.0 miles from Palm Desert BOC Score 37.1
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $17,966
Avg net price $19,655/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:Accreditor: National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and SciencesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Milan Institute-Palm Desert

Palm Desert, CA 1.0 miles from Palm Desert BOC Score 31.8
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,491
Avg net price $24,730/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

College of the Desert

Palm Desert, CA 1.9 miles from Palm Desert BOC Score 47.4
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,020
Avg net price $15,728/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

International School of Beauty Inc

Palm Desert, CA 2.0 miles from Palm Desert BOC Score 49.8
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $19,799
Avg net price $18,347/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

California Indian Nations College

Palm Desert, CA 2.6 miles from Palm Desert
  • 2 year
Tuition
In‑state$7,743
Out‑of‑state$7,743
Contact

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Project Management Wages Near Palm Desert

Palm Desert is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (BLS area code 40140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Project Management Specialist$100,770Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$94,709
Construction Manager$126,040Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$118,459
Computer and Information Systems Manager$176,320Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$165,714

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.


Palm Desert at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population51,551Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$79,508Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+39.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)106.4 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Palm Desert-Area Cities With Project Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited project management schools are near Palm Desert, CA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering project management programs near Palm Desert. The closest is University of Redlands in Redlands, CA (50.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Ashford University (77.1 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying project management roles near Palm Desert?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying project management-related roles near Palm Desert are: Computer and Information Systems Manager ($176,320), Construction Manager ($126,040), Project Management Specialist ($100,770). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Indio instead of Palm Desert?

Indio, CA is 7.8 miles from Palm Desert and has its own set of local project management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Palm Desert an affordable place to study project management?

Palm Desert’s median household income of $79,508 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Palm Desert while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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 Project Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Palm Desert

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

Data verified: July 30, 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.