Forum Discussion
Instructional Design Master's or Graduate Certificate Programs
Hi everyone!
People reach out to me all the time asking which Master's or graduate degree programs they should enroll in to become an instructional designer. With so many programs out there—and many of them offering virtual options now—it can be hard to choose.
I'd love to hear from those of you who have gone that route so I can point them to some real-life feedback. What program did you do? Did you find it helpful (either from an instructional and/or career perspective)? What did you like and dislike about it?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
As we don't have any specific programmes for instructional design here in New Zealand - I'm keen to see what online program folks recommend.
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This is such a great question, as I've been doing research into this and the amount of courses I've found are overwhelming. That said, I haven't found any suitable courses in South Africa, as most are from US based institutions. This causes some difficulty with time zones and cost. (1 USD = 15+ ZAR)
Hi all,
My route to becoming an instructional designer involved earning a graduate level certificate from the University of Georgia. They offer an M.Ed. in Learning, Design, & Technology–Instructional Design and Development and graduate certificates–one in eLearning Design and one in Online Teaching and Learning. All of these can be fully completed virtually. Earning the eLearning Design certificate helped me land my first instructional design job and equipped me with the theoretical knowledge and technological skills necessary to excel in this role.
It's a wonderful program with great faculty. They also partnered (and may still) with Articulate and provide students opportunities to expand their skills using the software while working on authentic, real-world projects. I was able to complete the certificate mostly for free since I was a UGA employee at the time, but I would have gladly paid the tuition for the quality education I received. I'm happy to answer any other questions anyone may have.
I also completed the UGA Instructional Design and Development certificate. I already had over 15 years of experience, but I had no formal training. I learned a lot and it was a good item to have on my resume.
I eventually completed an online MS in Instructional Design and Technology from Georgia State University. For those who don't want to invest the time and money in a degree, GSU also offers a five-course certificate program; students take the same courses as those pursuing the MS. At GSU, you can tailor your curriculum to K-12 or adult learning (my field). The curriculum is a good balance between theory and practice. I only had one professor who was less than stellar (she has since retired).
One of the reasons I pursued the MS rather late in my career was that I noticed most job postings stated "master's degree preferred." I was simply not getting as many interviews as I thought my experience warranted. I finally landed an excellent contract position with a Fortune 500 company during my last semester. Since then I've moved on to a full-time role with another large company where I'm doing the sort of job analysis and performance improvement work that I've always wanted to. I'm quite sure I never would have had this opportunity had I not gotten my degree.
Regarding the time zone problem for international students: I was able to keep up with my synchronous classes while visiting the UK. Other students logged in from India. Check with the program you're interested in to see what time their classes are offered - you may be able to make it work.
I completed this program and highly recommend it. Dr. Jill Stefaniak is an amazing person to connect with if you are interested in learning more.
Thanks for sharing @Shannon! It's nice to know that the University of Georgia program is a good one.
And thanks for reaching out @Helen and @Lauren! I'm interested to see if anyone has any advice about courses that could work for people outside the US.
Thanks Allison for kicking this conversation off - I'm based in the UK and I'd love to hear what courses and programs other ID professionals have been on!
I attended online at University of Houston for M. Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction - Learning, Design & Technology
I enjoyed that most of the classes were project based and allowed me to learn about a variety of different edtech solutions. The only downside was that some classes tended towards K-12 topics, though I was teaching when I started the program so had that background.
University of Houston also offers a Master of Science in Human Resource Development. I'm not sure if it's available online, but includes classes like instructional design and e-learning design.
Thanks for sharing, Sydney! It's great to get an inside look at the Houston program.
HEY! Anyone got any POST-graduate ....PHDs...Drs... and the ilk
At the time, Penn State Great Valley Graduate Center (aka Graduate degrees only) had a MEd in ISD. It was a blended learning program (the first time teachers had to "30% online their courses"). The closest thing I could find from PSU Online is the MEd in Learning, Design, and Technology. I can say in addition my own learning (of Articulate (pre Storyline. I'm old) I was able to get employed fairly quickly.
Good to know, Alison! Thanks for sharing your experience :)
I have an MS in Digital Learning. Instructional Design is an old almost antiquated term now, as most people do far more than just Instructional Design. That term actually refers to the person who structures the flow of the course is in "Designing the Instruction" and you have story-boarders, Graphic Designers, programmers, animators etc that come together. But many times it is trainers who end up by default becoming an "Instructional Designer" due to someone asking "As you do the training, then you can create an E-learning module...got to be easy". Many times in my travels I will meet an "Instructional Designer" and when I ask them what they do, it usually is not instructional design but far more. A more modern title would be "Learning Experience Designer". You would be better off looking for Masters degrees etc in Adult Learning with Digital in mind. I am pursuing a PHD also in Digital Learning through Adult Learning but had to go through the Education Department.
It's so true that IDs nowadays do so much more than just design the instruction! But it's a term that seems to live on anyway ;)
I pivoted to ID from K-5 Education by getting a Master's degree in Educational Technology (now known as Learning Deign and Technology, which is more appropriate, IMO), from from Texas A&M University. I see that they were ranked #9 by the 2021 US News and World Report on Educational/Instructional Media Design Programs.
What I liked best about the program was its clear emphasis on the science of multimedia learning, and the science of learning, in general.
What I wished we would have spent more time doing is learning how to use the authoring tools, but I get it from a logistical standpoint.
Before I even graduated, through contacts, I was asked to do a review on a Fortune 500's e-learning modules (one of the company's sites), which I did using Clark and Mayer's Principles. After that, they contracted me to create modules. They told me my master's degree was why they hired me, but I think I might have sold them if I would have had a really good portfolio and could explain how each aspect relates to multimedia and/or other learning principles.
Thanks for hsaring, Shirley! Super interesting.
As someone with a Master's, I would say this is the correct path if your aim is to tie in past experiences into your L&D career. In my case, I studied communications and digital design, and ultimately pursued a Master's in Distance Learning from UMGC to focus communication pieces for education and engagement.
As I looked for a position in the L&D space, I noticed most companies were satisfied with a Bachelor's in L&D to get you started. So if you're heading to college for the first time, a Bachelors should suffice to get your foot in the door.
Hi Hianna,
That's a good point about how this can tie past experiences to a new career. How did you end up liking the program you took at UMGC?
It was excellent. Like other online programs, you ultimately decide how
much effort to put in, so that you can include the "fruits of your labor"
in your future resume.
Basically, while a single apple might earn you a passing grade, take the
effort to give the entire fruit basket, because this is what you will
ultimately showcase during your interviews.
