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Instructional systems designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an instructional systems designer. Instructional systems designers usually study business, education, or educational technology. 55% of instructional systems designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,479 real instructional systems designer resumes to see exactly what instructional systems designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for instructional systems designers are the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
There are also many online instructional systems designer courses to help get the education required to be an instructional systems designer.
There are certain instructional systems designer certifications that you should consider. These instructional systems designer certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Project Management Professional (PMP).
What education do you need to become an instructional systems designer?
What degree do you need to be an instructional systems designer?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Master's, 21%
- Associate, 18%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become an instructional systems designer?
Most common colleges for instructional systems designers
| Instructional systems designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 11.65% |
| University of Phoenix | 9.71% |
| University of Central Florida | 9.22% |
| American InterContinental University | 5.34% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 5.34% |
Best majors for instructional systems designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 14.3% |
| 2 | Education | 8.8% |
| 3 | Educational Technology | 8.2% |
| 4 | Elementary Education | 7.2% |
| 5 | English | 6.2% |
Best colleges for instructional systems designers
The best colleges for instructional systems designers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
An instructional systems 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 systems 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 systems designers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,530
Enrollment
4,571
6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
7. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
8. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
10. University of Maryland - Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$11,778
Enrollment
11,156
20 best online courses for instructional systems designers
Advertising disclosure
1. Instructional Planning with Genially
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2. Foundations of Virtual Instruction
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...
3. Instructional Design for ELearning
Designing Successful ELearning Courses. Learn from a multi-award-winning instructional designer...
4. The complete Instructional Designer course
Learn the skills to become an e Learning Instructional Designer for Corporate Learning and Development...
5. Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom
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...
6. Instructional Design for Classroom Training
Design effective and engaging in-person classroom training sessions and learning experiences from scratch...
7. Instructional Design for Corporate Learning and Development
Giving you the tools to design and deliver on-point, effective corporate training programs...
8. Instructional Design Pro (Part 1): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
9. Instructional Design Pro (Part 3): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
10. Instructional Design Pro (Part 2): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
11. Rocking System Design
Learn system design, from building blocks to complex architectures for interviews and real world projects...
12. Pragmatic System Design
Master System Design Interviews: Learn Practical Approaches and Boost Your Career...
13. Mastering the System Design Interview
Insider tips for your system design interview from a former Amazon hiring manager – plus 6 mock interviews for practice!...
14. Software Architecture & System Design Practical Case Studies
Design Real-life Large Scale Systems, Practice Modern Software Architecture & Prepare for a System Design Interview...
15. System Design Interview Guide for Software Architecture
Mastering High Level System Design Interview Software Architecture case studies Design patterns Microservices...
16. Easy Instructional Harmonium for Yoga, Kirtans, Meditations
Easy instructional harmonium for yoga classes, kirtans and personal meditations...
17. Low Level System Design [An interview perspective]
Ace the Low Level Design interview by solving problems asked in the System Design round of programming interviews...
18. BMS - Building management system
BMS, building management system & building automation systems study , design and calculations...
19. Certificate Program In Management Information Systems
Learn about the exciting world of Management Information Systems and its impact on the way organisations now function...
20. Preparing for the System Design Interviews V2 - End to End
Complete Course on Cracking the system design interviews in top tech firms - Theory, Design, Demos and Code...
Top 10 most affordable universities for instructional systems designers
The most affordable schools for instructional systems designers are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for instructional systems 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 systems designers.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
9. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for instructional systems designers
The hardest universities for instructional systems designers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for instructional systems 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 systems 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 Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
8. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for instructional systems designers
The easiest schools for instructional systems designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and ottawa university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an instructional systems 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 systems designers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
8. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
Average instructional systems designer salary by education level
| Instructional systems designer education level | Instructional systems designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $73,316 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $65,187 |
| Doctorate Degree | $76,156 |
Instructional systems designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025