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The differences between instructional systems specialists 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 an instructional systems specialist and an instructional design manager. Additionally, an instructional design manager has an average salary of $66,959, which is higher than the $53,853 average annual salary of an instructional systems specialist.
The top three skills for an instructional systems specialist include instructional materials, learning objectives and training programs. The most important skills for an instructional design manager are subject matter experts, project management, and learning solutions.
| Instructional Systems Specialist | Instructional Design Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $53,853 | $66,959 |
| Hourly rate | $25.89 | $32.19 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 65,859 | 44,475 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An instructional systems specialist is responsible for creating instructional materials and coordinating educational content. Typical duties include developing educational and training programs, developing cooperative and constructive working relationships with others, and developing plans and goals to organize and prioritize your work. As an instructional systems specialist, you will guide, direct, and motivate your subordinates and set performance standards. You are also expected to assist students in achieving their academic goals and provide technical expertise on the application and interpretation of automation training standards.
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.
Instructional systems specialists and instructional design managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Systems Specialist | Instructional Design Manager | |
| Average salary | $53,853 | $66,959 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $74,000 | Between $48,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Department of Homeland Security | DoorDash |
| Best paying industry | Government | Energy |
There are a few differences between an instructional systems specialist and an instructional design manager in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Systems Specialist | Instructional Design Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between instructional systems specialists' and instructional design managers' demographics:
| Instructional Systems Specialist | Instructional Design Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.0% Female, 46.0% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 5.3% White, 61.0% 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% |