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Instructional developer/designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an instructional developer/designer. Instructional developer/designers usually study educational technology, business, or education. 60% of instructional developer/designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 828 real instructional developer/designer resumes to see exactly what instructional developer/designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for instructional developer/designers are the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
There are also many online instructional developer/designer courses to help get the education required to be an instructional developer/designer.
There are certain instructional developer/designer certifications that you should consider. These instructional developer/designer certifications include Certified Instructional Technologist (CIT) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).
What education do you need to become an instructional developer/designer?
What degree do you need to be an instructional developer/designer?
- Bachelor's, 60%
- Master's, 27%
- Associate, 9%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become an instructional developer/designer?
Most common colleges for instructional developer/designers
| Instructional developer/designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania | 9.52% |
| Arizona State University | 6.67% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.67% |
| Michigan State University | 6.67% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 5.71% |
Best majors for instructional developer/designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Educational Technology | 12.1% |
| 2 | Business | 11.9% |
| 3 | Education | 9.1% |
| 4 | English | 9.1% |
| 5 | Elementary Education | 6.1% |
Best colleges for instructional developer/designers
The best colleges for instructional developer/designers are University of Rochester, Harvard University, and Boston University.
An instructional developer/designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for instructional developer/designers. 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 instructional developer/designers.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
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. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$52,930
Enrollment
5,030
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Enrollment
32,072
8. University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$15,730
Enrollment
18,830
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$9,101
Enrollment
23,708
20 best online courses for instructional developer/designers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for instructional developer/designers
The most affordable schools for instructional developer/designers are California State University - Long Beach, university of houston - victoria, and florida state university.
If the best universities for instructional developer/designers 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 instructional developer/designers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. California State University - San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,922
Cost of attendance
18,522
5. California State University - Sacramento
Sacramento, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,310
Cost of attendance
19,807
6. University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,368
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
9. The University of West Florida
Pensacola, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,360
Cost of attendance
16,595
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for instructional developer/designers
The hardest universities for instructional developer/designers to get into are University of Rochester, Harvard University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for instructional developer/designers 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 instructional developer/designers 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. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,380
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
Admissions rate
50%
SAT average
1,284
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for instructional developer/designers
The easiest schools for instructional developer/designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, ottawa university, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an instructional developer/designer 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 instructional developer/designers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
5. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
6. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
7. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
8. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
9. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average instructional developer/designer salary by education level
| Instructional developer/designer education level | Instructional developer/designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $67,748 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $60,610 |
| Doctorate Degree | $69,869 |
Instructional developer/designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025