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Best Space Studies Schools Near Oak Ridge, TN (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Oak Ridge, Tennessee is home to about 32,088 residents. Median household income is $71,000 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 39.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Knoxville, TN metro area, the top-earning space studies-related role is Physicists at a median $165,010 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Space Studies Schools to Oak Ridge
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer space studies programs near Oak Ridge, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Oak Ridge 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 Oak Ridge.
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: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Tennessee schools on the Tennessee space studies page.
Space Studies Wages Near Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge is part of the Knoxville, TN metro area (BLS area code 28940). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Astronomers
N/A
TN statewide
–
Physicists
$165,010
Knoxville, TN
$178,197
Aerospace Engineers
$107,100
Knoxville, TN
$115,659
Natural Sciences Managers
$141,130
Knoxville, TN
$152,408
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
$96,190
TN statewide
$103,877
Engineers, All Other
$99,650
Knoxville, TN
$107,613
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
$85,020
TN statewide
$91,814
Physical Scientists, All Other
$136,990
Knoxville, TN
$147,937
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.
Oak Ridge at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
32,088
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$71,000
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
39.4%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
92.6 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Oak Ridge-Area Cities With Space Studies Programs
What are the highest-paying space studies roles near Oak Ridge?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying space studies-related roles near Oak Ridge are: Physicists ($165,010), Natural Sciences Managers ($141,130), Physical Scientists, All Other ($136,990). 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 Farragut instead of Oak Ridge?
Farragut, TN is 8.9 miles from Oak Ridge and has its own set of local space studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Oak Ridge an affordable place to study space studies?
Oak Ridge’s median household income of $71,000 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Oak Ridge while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 7, 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.
