Best Technical Communication Schools Near Rock Island, IL

Rock Island, Illinois has 1 accredited school offering technical communication programs. Rock Island has a population of about 36,758. Median household income is $57,292 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metro area, the top-earning technical communication-related role is Technical Writer at a median $77,170 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Technical Communication Schools to Rock Island

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer technical communication programs near Rock Island, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Rock Island 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 Rock Island. 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

Bradley University

Peoria, IL 73.4 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,852
Avg net price $22,719/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 97

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL 132.1 miles from Rock Island
  • 2 year
47.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,909
Avg net price $7,401/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 106

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL 145.6 miles from Rock Island
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
47.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,424
Avg net price $7,607/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,788
Out‑of‑state$14,400
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

DePaul University

Chicago, IL 155.1 miles from Rock Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,751
Avg net price $30,902/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 166

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois technical communication page.


Technical Communication Wages Near Rock Island

Rock Island is part of the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL metro area (BLS area code 19340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Technical Writer$77,170Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL$86,611
Editor$58,050Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL$65,152
Writer and Author$68,220IL statewide$76,566

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.


Rock Island at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population36,758Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$57,292Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+22.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)89.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Rock Island-Area Cities With Technical Communication Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited technical communication schools are near Rock Island, IL?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering technical communication programs near Rock Island. The closest is Bradley University in Peoria, IL (73.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Bradley University (73.4 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying technical communication roles near Rock Island?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying technical communication-related roles near Rock Island are: Technical Writer ($77,170), Writer and Author ($68,220), Editor ($58,050). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Moline instead of Rock Island?

Moline, IL is 4.8 miles from Rock Island and has its own set of local technical communication programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Rock Island an affordable place to study technical communication?

Rock Island’s median household income of $57,292 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rock Island while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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 Technical Communication Programs

Other Programs Available in Rock Island

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

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.