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Curriculum and instruction director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a curriculum and instruction director. Curriculum and instruction directors usually study educational leadership, business, or curriculum and instruction. 55% of curriculum and instruction directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 197 real curriculum and instruction director resumes to see exactly what curriculum and instruction director education sections show.

The most common colleges for curriculum and instruction directors are the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

There are also many online curriculum and instruction director courses to help get the education required to be a curriculum and instruction director.

What education do you need to become a curriculum and instruction director?

What degree do you need to be a curriculum and instruction director?

The most common degree for curriculum and instruction directors is bachelor's degree, with 55% of curriculum and instruction directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 26% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 55%
  • Master's, 26%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Doctorate, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a curriculum and instruction director?

You should major in educational leadership to become a curriculum and instruction director. 14% of curriculum and instruction directors major in educational leadership. Other common majors for a curriculum and instruction director include business and curriculum and instruction.

Most common colleges for curriculum and instruction directors

Curriculum and instruction directors often get their degrees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Walden University, and The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Here are the most common colleges for curriculum and instruction directors in the US based on their resumes.
Curriculum and instruction director common collegePercentages
Southern Illinois University Carbondale8.82%
Walden University8.82%
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville8.82%
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs5.88%
National Louis University5.88%

Best majors for curriculum and instruction directors

Best colleges for curriculum and instruction directors

The best colleges for curriculum and instruction directors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A curriculum and instruction director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for curriculum and instruction directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become curriculum and instruction directors.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for curriculum and instruction directors

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1. Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom

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Welcome to Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you apply strategies to the critical areas of K-12 virtual instruction to significantly impact virtual education. We will examine the pitfalls beginning teachers run into and learn how to overcome them by focusing on the fundamentals that have the greatest impact on student learning in a blended or online environment. By the end of the course, you will be able to empower your students to be voracious...

2. Instructional Planning with Genially

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Genially is “the tool that brings content to life.” Genially allows you to map out a learning journey for your students using high interest images and interactive tools. But did you know that Genially is also a wonderful tool for organizing your lessons and units. With Genially, you can plan and organize your units in one central place, simplifying your planning process with templates created with teachers in mind! Throughout this project, we will work together to build your confidence using...

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Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...

5. Foundations of Virtual Instruction

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Welcome to Foundations of Virtual Instruction! This course will help you 'up' your game and develop the advanced skills and techniques that elude even some of the most experienced virtual teachers in the K-12 space. Examine pitfalls and learn how to overcome them by focusing on the fundamentals that have the most significant impact on student learning in a blended or online environment. When you complete this course, you will be able to: • Craft virtual learning experiences that align with your...

6. Instructional Methods in Health Professions Education

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This course provides those involved in educating members of the health professions an asynchronous, interdisciplinary, and interactive way to obtain, expand, and improve their teaching skills. These skills can then be applied within their own professional context, with a variety of learners, extending across many stages. After completing this course, learners will: 1. Understand educational theory as it relates to health professions education 2. Match instructional methods with desired...

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8. Instructional Design for Classroom Training

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Design effective and engaging in-person classroom training sessions and learning experiences from scratch...

9. Computational Thinking for K-12 Educators: Sequences and Loops

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How do we give instructions to a computer? Isn't programming hard? Not really! Whether it's giving someone directions to a nearby store or writing out some dance moves we frequently exhibit aspects of computational thinking in our everyday lives! This class teaches the first key concepts of programming -- sequences of instructions and basic counted repetition of instructions. For each concept, we'll start by helping you connect real-world experiences you are already familiar with to the...

10. Instructional Design for ELearning

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Designing Successful ELearning Courses. Learn from a multi-award-winning instructional designer...

11. Intuitive Curriculum Development: Make it Easy to Understand

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A Time-Tested and Research Based Approach To Making Difficult Concepts Easy To Understand...

12. Instructional Design for Corporate Learning and Development

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Giving you the tools to design and deliver on-point, effective corporate training programs...

13. The complete Instructional Designer course

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Learn the skills to become an e Learning Instructional Designer for Corporate Learning and Development...

14. Master the FTCE Reading K-12

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Instruction and Practice on the 44 Skills Needed to Pass the FTCE Reading K-12 Exam...

15. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

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Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...

16. x86 Assembly Language Programming From Ground Up™

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17. C Programming For Beginners - with 60 BONUS Simple Programs!

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Learn the C Programming language FAST - onscreen step by step, then IDE, then debugger. Designed for TECHNICAL INTERVIEW...

18. Complete CFA Level I - 2016 curriculum

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Bring the 2016 Level I curriculum readings to life with expert prep provider, Fitch Learning...

19. C Programming For Beginners - Master the C Language

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C Programming will increase career options. Become a better dev in other languages by learning C. Pointers explained...

20. Fundamentals of Programming

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Learn the Basics of Programming in 9 languages simultaneously: Java, Python, Go, C++, PHP, Ruby, C#, Java Script & C...

Top 10 most affordable universities for curriculum and instruction directors

The most affordable schools for curriculum and instruction directors are California State University - Long Beach, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.

If the best universities for curriculum and instruction directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for curriculum and instruction directors.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for curriculum and instruction directors

The hardest universities for curriculum and instruction directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for curriculum and instruction directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for curriculum and instruction directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for curriculum and instruction directors

The easiest schools for curriculum and instruction directors to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a curriculum and instruction director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for curriculum and instruction directors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average curriculum and instruction director salary by education level

According to our data, curriculum and instruction directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $68,531 annually. Curriculum and instruction directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $61,858.
Curriculum and instruction director education levelCurriculum and instruction director salary
Master's Degree$61,858
Bachelor's Degree$53,452
Doctorate Degree$68,531

Curriculum and instruction director education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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