Columbia Southern University
Columbia Southern University offers online, flexible programs designed for working adults, with strengths in fire protection, quality control and safety technologies, and criminal justice. The university emphasizes career services, providing resources like one-on-one career counseling, resume review, and job search strategies for students and alumni. They also recognize professional certifications and licenses for college credit, potentially allowing students to finish their degrees faster.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition
All Programs at Columbia Southern University
6 trade programs at Columbia Southern University, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size). Use the “compare” links to see how this school’s programs stack up against others nationally.
| Program | Score | Earnings | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Business Administration
Business Administration, Management and Operations Compare nationwide → |
89 | $49,753/yr | $25,428 |
|
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice and Corrections Compare nationwide → Compare in AL → |
78 | $58,241/yr | $12,140 |
|
Fire Protection
Compare nationwide → |
75 | $75,326/yr | $9,500 |
|
Quality Control & Safety Technology
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians Compare nationwide → |
70 | $74,871/yr | $13,910 |
|
Health Administration
Health and Medical Administrative Services Compare nationwide → Compare in AL → |
68 | $39,247/yr | $15,886 |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in AL → |
61 | $55,667/yr | $16,266 |
Reading the table: Score combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size on a 0–100 scale. Earnings = median first-year salary from College Scorecard. Debt = median federal debt at graduation (blank where Scorecard suppresses small samples). 10yr ROI = projected 10-year earnings ÷ in-state tuition. AI Risk reflects task-level AI exposure across mapped occupations. Job Market = annual openings nationwide for connected occupations.
More Trade Schools in Alabama
Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in Alabama, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.
Apprenticeship Pathways in Alabama
Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Alabama. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.
Trade Schools Near Orange Beach
Other cities in Alabama with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Orange Beach.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 6 trade and vocational programs at Columbia Southern University using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034).
The TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100) combines graduate earnings, return on investment, AI resilience, and job market size. AI Risk reflects task-level exposure for the occupations each program feeds into. Job Market shows the size of the national hiring pool. Programs without published debt figures had small reporting samples that the College Scorecard suppresses for privacy.