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Instructional Media Design

Types of Degrees Instructional Media Design Majors Are Earning

Those studying Instructional Media Design have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	107
Associate’s Degree	116
Bachelor’s Degree	150
Master’s Degree	8,227
Doctor’s Degree	261

What Instructional Media Design Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Instructional Media Design build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Instructional Media Design graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Instructional Media Design emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Instructional Media Design program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Instructional Media Design careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Instructional Media Design graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Instructional Media Design professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	—
Drupal	Web platform development software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Adobe Dreamweaver	Web page creation and editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Instructional Media Design graduates include:

• Courseware Developer
• Course Developer
• Curriculum Developer
• Instructional Technologist
• Instructional Technology Specialist
• Education Coordinator
• Instructional Design Technologist
• Instructional Coordinator
• Certified Performance Technologist (CPT)
• Literacy Specialist
• Education Supervisor
• Literacy Consultant
• Curriculum Manager
• Instructional Technology Resource Teacher
• Instructional Manager

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Instructional Media Design graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	45.9%
Bachelor’s degree	35.9%
Post-master’s certificate	7.5%
First professional degree	2.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.6%
Some college courses	2.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.1%
Postsecondary certificate	0.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.4%
Doctoral degree	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Instructional Media Design?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 74.8% of Instructional Media Design degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6,643	74.8%
Men	2,236	25.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Instructional Media Design graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,490	61.8%
Asian	464	5.2%
Hispanic or Latino	918	10.3%
Black or African American	786	8.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	48	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	0.1%
Two or More Races	251	2.8%
Race Unknown	448	5.0%
International Students	466	5.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Instructional Media Design Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Instructional Media Design graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$64,362
4 years	$60,788
5 years	$68,561

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $68,561 — roughly 7% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Instructional Media Design Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Instructional Media Design. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	8	2
Master’s	163	56
Doctoral (Research)	12	8

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Instructional Media Design Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Instructional Media Design graduates earn a median of $60,788 four years after completion — roughly 60% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Education	13
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education	13.02
Curriculum and Instruction	13.03
Education, General	13.01
Education, Other	13.99
EDUCATION	13.00
Educational Administration and Supervision	13.04
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research	13.06
International and Comparative Education	13.07
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education	13.09
Special Education and Teaching	13.10
Student Counseling and Personnel Services	13.11

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.