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!
It's not quite a degree, but in the UK I'm doing a Digital Learning Design diploma through the Digital Learning Institute. We have a couple people from Nigeria and Europe joining in too so it's not just available for UK. I'm currently up to Module 3 and still learning quite a bit despite having been creating eLearn courses for 2+ years
I decided to go the route of a Master's Certification in Instructional Design from ATD, rather than traditional universities or colleges. This was mainly because I wasn't interested in investing in a Bachelors or Masters degree...my research showed me that the return on that learning investment wouldn't pay off with today's job market in this line of work. I really liked the ATD certification program! I enjoyed the structure, meeting like-minds from around the globe, and sharing knowledge and experience. I also liked that the return on that investment would pay off quickly. Here's a link! https://www.td.org/education-courses/atd-master-instructional-designer-program
Hi All,
My name is Dr. Gautreau and I direct a master's program at CSU Fullerton. It is online and run as a cohort model. Our students are primarily from California, although we do have out of state and international students from time to time. I've had some time to evaluate other master's programs and we seem to offer similar courses and outcomes, which is great for students. I think that students should take the time to review each program, and specifically the learning outcomes to determine which program best meets their needs. Most programs are over 2 years, so that is a time commitment and requires much endurance and dedication to complete.
Our program consists of 10 courses, and is completed over 5 semesters. Most students take 2 courses a semester which makes it manageable while working full time. Cost is always a concern, for California students it's about $11,000 total, and we offer a payment plan. Out of state students pay additional costs. Although I noticed many employers pay for their employees to complete the program. Nice! One more note, our students graduate with 2 instructional design certificates and a master's degree. This seems to help our students to enhance their resume and search for employment while completing their degree.
We have many student and alumni stories posted on our LinkedIn page. Please take a look if you are interested in learning more. Personally, I think hearing from students who have graduated from the program is a true testimony to the quality of education.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/csuf-msidt-9ab982119/
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)
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 ;)
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.
The University of Southern California has an MEd in Learning Design and Technology. This is 100% online and provides flipped instruction. Highly recommend!
Any ideas for people in the UK would be appreciated, especially those new to the area with no current degree.
Umcg is available worldwide I believe. They have a few different degrees.
I attended ATD's Master Instructional Design certificate program virtually. There were people from around the world in class with me. I have been in Learning and Development for more than 10 years and I learned a lot in this program.
I'm currently pursuing my M. Ed. in Educational Technology and Design at the University of Saskatchewan, entirely online. I'm finding the program content to be of great practical relevance to my work in educational program development and ID.
Great to see your stuff, Could you also let me know what is the scope of M.ED ? I need some information. Thanks
