Best Public Health Schools Near Decatur, AL (2026)

Decatur, Alabama has 5 accredited schools offering public health programs, with tuition ranging from $9,098 to $28,145 per year for indexed programs. Decatur has a population of about 57,974. In the Decatur, AL metro area, the top-earning public health-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $91,450 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Health Schools to Decatur

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

Athens State University

Athens, AL 16.2 miles from Decatur
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
52.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,273
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Alabama in Huntsville

Huntsville, AL 22.5 miles from Decatur
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
65.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 69%
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,767
Avg net price $18,796/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,132
Out‑of‑state$26,408
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Oakwood University

Huntsville, AL 23.0 miles from Decatur
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,488
Avg net price $25,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Huntsville Bible College

Huntsville, AL 25.6 miles from Decatur
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL 28.0 miles from Decatur
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
32.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 58%
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,628
Avg net price $17,621/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,024
Out‑of‑state$18,634
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of North Alabama

Florence, AL 42.4 miles from Decatur
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,415
Avg net price $12,170/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Heritage Christian University

Florence, AL 42.9 miles from Decatur
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
42.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,597
Avg net price $15,426/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama public health page.


Public Health Wages Near Decatur

Decatur is part of the Decatur, AL metro area (BLS area code 19460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Epidemiologist$74,740AL statewide$85,711
Health Education Specialist$65,210AL statewide$74,782
Medical and Health Services Manager$91,450Decatur, AL$104,874
Community Health Worker$43,340AL statewide$49,702

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.


Decatur at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)87.2 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Decatur-Area Cities With Public Health Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public health schools are near Decatur, AL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public health programs near Decatur. The closest is Athens State University in Athens, AL (16.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Alabama at Birmingham (74.5 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public health roles near Decatur?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public health-related roles near Decatur are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($91,450), Epidemiologist ($74,740), Health Education Specialist ($65,210). 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 Athens instead of Decatur?

Athens, AL is 14.7 miles from Decatur and has its own set of local public health 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 Public Health Programs

Other Programs Available in Decatur

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

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.