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Best Public Policy Schools Near Bozeman, MT (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Bozeman, Montana is home to about 55,042 residents. Median household income is $79,903 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 65.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Bozeman, MT metro area, the top-earning public policy-related role is Management Analysts at a median $115,130 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Public Policy Schools to Bozeman
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public policy programs near Bozeman, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bozeman 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 Bozeman.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Montana schools on the Montana public policy page.
Public Policy Wages Near Bozeman
Bozeman is part of the Bozeman, MT metro area (BLS area code 14580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Montana statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Political Scientists
N/A
MT statewide
–
Management Analysts
$115,130
Bozeman, MT
$112,322
Economists
$89,340
MT statewide
$87,161
Social and Community Service Managers
$79,210
Bozeman, MT
$77,278
Survey Researchers
N/A
MT statewide
–
Compliance Officers
$75,090
Bozeman, MT
$73,259
General and Operations Managers
$103,210
Bozeman, MT
$100,693
Financial and Investment Analysts
$109,320
Bozeman, MT
$106,654
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.
Bozeman at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
55,042
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$79,903
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
65.1%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
102.5 (above U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Bozeman-Area Cities With Public Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying public policy roles near Bozeman?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public policy-related roles near Bozeman are: Management Analysts ($115,130), Financial and Investment Analysts ($109,320), General and Operations Managers ($103,210). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Montana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Helena instead of Bozeman?
Helena, MT is 78.2 miles from Bozeman and has its own set of local public policy programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Bozeman an affordable place to study public policy?
Bozeman’s median household income of $79,903 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bozeman while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Montana 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.
Data verified: September 5, 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.
