Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Media/instructional designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a media/instructional designer. Media/instructional designers usually study communication, fine arts, or photography. 68% of media/instructional designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 283 real media/instructional designer resumes to see exactly what media/instructional designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for media/instructional designers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online media/instructional designer courses to help get the education required to be a media/instructional designer.
What education do you need to become a media/instructional designer?
What degree do you need to be a media/instructional designer?
- Bachelor's, 68%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 10%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a media/instructional designer?
- Communication, 18%
- Fine Arts, 12%
- Photography, 10%
- Graphic Design, 8%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for media/instructional designers
| Media/instructional designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 10.71% |
| Syracuse University | 7.14% |
| San Jose State University | 7.14% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 5.36% |
| Academy of Art University | 5.36% |
Best majors for media/instructional designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 17.7% |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 12.2% |
| 3 | Photography | 9.9% |
| 4 | Graphic Design | 8.3% |
| 5 | English | 5.5% |
Best colleges for media/instructional designers
The best colleges for media/instructional designers are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A media/instructional 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 media/instructional 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 media/instructional designers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
20 best online courses for media/instructional designers
Advertising disclosure
1. User Experience Design Immersive (Full-time)
Launch a future-proof career designing digital experiences that power revenue, user loyalty, and product success. Distinguish yourself as a designer by compiling a portfolio to showcase solo, group, and client projects to employers based on UI design and Agile methodologies...
2. User Experience Design (Part Time)
Translate user wants and needs into intuitive digital experiences that power revenue, loyalty, and product success. Build confidence and credibility to tackle complex design problems on the job. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. UX Designer
Design impactful user experiences for products in today’s digital world. Build a portfolio that showcases your ability to transform user research to high-fidelity interactive designs...
4. Product Design
Learn the steps you need to turn an idea into reality. By the end of this course you’ll learn how to bring an idea from concept to hand off for development and onto creation of a prototype...
5. Instructional Design for ELearning
Designing Successful ELearning Courses. Learn from a multi-award-winning instructional designer...
6. Instructional Design for Classroom Training
Design effective and engaging in-person classroom training sessions and learning experiences from scratch...
7. Visual Design (Part Time)
Gain the vocabulary and tools to tackle diverse design challenges on the job. Kickstart your portfolio and create beautiful, responsive designs for the web. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
8. Intro to UX Design
Are you interested in UX Design, but have no prior experience or an idea of where to start? You’ve come to the right place! In this two-hour livestream, we’ll explore the decision-making process that separates a good user experience from a great one, and learn some tools that you can implement in your own UX process today. All in real time, taught by an industry professional. Come learn the basics and gain the skills you need to begin your UX Design journey!...
9. The complete Instructional Designer course
Learn the skills to become an e Learning Instructional Designer for Corporate Learning and Development...
10. Digital Design Masterclass For Graphic Designers
Icon Set Design, E-book cover, Digitizing Sketches, Social Media Design, Wordpress Web Design, Adobe Xd, GIFS and more!...
11. Web Design Responsive Website Template from Scratch HTML CSS
Build your own website from scratch Web Design how to build a simple website template from scratch using HTML and CSS...
12. Graphic Design Masterclass - Learn GREAT Design
The Ultimate Graphic Design Course Which Covers Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design,Design Theory, Branding and Logo Design...
13. Instructional Design Pro (Part 1): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
14. Instructional Design Pro (Part 3): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
15. Graphic Design Mastery: The FULL Branding & Design Process
Follows the FULL Graphic Design Process for A Company: Logo, Ad, Social Media, T-Shirt, Package, Website Design & More!...
16. Adobe Photoshop Graphic Design
Design 4 Beautiful eye catching Graphic Design Projects from Scratch with Adobe Photoshop Graphic Design Basics...
17. Instructional Design Pro (Part 2): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
18. Design stunning Social Media Marketing Images with Photoshop
Learn how to design + 17 stunning social media images with Photoshop CC for your Social Networks. For Beginners...
19. Graphic Design Mastery- AI, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign
Graphic Design for beginners including Graphic Design Theories, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, AI & Creative Thinking...
20. Graphic Design Bootcamp: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
Bestselling Beginner Course! Use Photoshop, Illustrator, & In Design for logo design, web design, poster design, and more...
Top 10 most affordable universities for media/instructional designers
The most affordable schools for media/instructional designers are California State University - Long Beach, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for media/instructional 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 media/instructional designers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for media/instructional designers
The hardest universities for media/instructional designers to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for media/instructional 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 media/instructional 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for media/instructional designers
The easiest schools for media/instructional designers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a media/instructional 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 media/instructional designers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
5. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
8. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
9. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average media/instructional designer salary by education level
| Media/instructional designer education level | Media/instructional designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $63,107 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $58,466 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $53,194 |
Media/instructional designer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search for media/instructional designer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025