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...
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.
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 ;)
