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 ma...
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.
