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The differences between curriculum developers and instructional design managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a curriculum developer and an instructional design manager. Additionally, an instructional design manager has an average salary of $66,959, which is higher than the $53,226 average annual salary of a curriculum developer.
The top three skills for a curriculum developer include instructional design, curriculum development and training materials. The most important skills for an instructional design manager are subject matter experts, project management, and learning solutions.
| Curriculum Developer | Instructional Design Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $53,226 | $66,959 |
| Hourly rate | $25.59 | $32.19 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 73,274 | 44,475 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A curriculum developer is responsible for managing instructional materials, providing recommendations to the teachers, and making adjustments to the current student's curriculum to adhere to the highest educational standards and policies. Curriculum developers also facilitate and offer assistance for any implemented procedures. They also manage and address concerns regarding the learning standards and consider recommendations for curriculum improvement. A curriculum developer must have extensive knowledge of the education system to plan out the necessary teachers' training and coaching.
An instructional design manager is an executive professional who manages a team of instructional designers to handle and completes a project efficiently and effectively. This manager must design strategies and uses various instructional tools effectively to evaluate instructional design solutions that offer quality to achieve the desired business impact. The manager must try to identify problematic issues related to the project and recommends effective solutions to solve the said issues. Instructional design manager must also develop the details of their project plans as well as work within the assigned budget.
Curriculum developers and instructional design managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Curriculum Developer | Instructional Design Manager | |
| Average salary | $53,226 | $66,959 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $78,000 | Between $48,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | DoorDash | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a curriculum developer and an instructional design manager in terms of educational background:
| Curriculum Developer | Instructional Design Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between curriculum developers' and instructional design managers' demographics:
| Curriculum Developer | Instructional Design Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.5% Female, 53.5% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.5% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 5.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |