Instructional designers create courses, training programs, and other learning experiences for schools, colleges, businesses, government agencies, healthcare organizations, and other employers. They combine knowledge of how people learn with writing, technology, project management, and communication skills to turn information into useful learning experiences.
There is no single path to becoming an instructional designer. Some professionals enter this education field with degrees in instructional design or educational technology, while others transition from teaching, corporate training, communications, human resources, technology, or another field. A bachelor’s degree can help you qualify for opportunities, but your skills, relevant experience, and portfolio can also play an important role when employers evaluate candidates.
The field also includes a variety of job titles, including Instructional Designer, Instructional Systems Specialist, Instructional Technologist, and Learning Development Specialist.
If you’re interested in instructional design as a career, the process generally involves learning instructional design principles, developing technology and communication skills, gaining practical experience, building a portfolio, and applying for positions that match your background.
What Is an Instructional Designer?
An instructional designer plans and develops learning experiences that help people acquire knowledge or skills. Depending on the employer, that might mean designing an online college course, creating employee onboarding training, developing compliance training for a healthcare organization, or building an interactive e-learning module.
Instructional designers aren’t simply content writers or graphic designers. Their job is to determine what learners need to know, how they should learn it, and how to determine whether they learned it.
O*NET describes the broader Instructional Coordinators occupation as including professionals who develop instructional materials, coordinate educational content, and incorporate technology into instruction.
What Does an Instructional Designer Do?
The specific responsibilities vary by employer, but instructional designers commonly:
- Analyze the learning needs of a particular audience
- Work with subject-matter experts to gather information
- Define learning objectives
- Organize information into courses or training programs
- Develop instructional materials
- Create online and multimedia learning experiences
- Design assessments, quizzes, and other learning activities
- Develop storyboards and course outlines
- Work with learning management systems (LMS)
- Use e-learning authoring software
- Evaluate whether a course or training program is effective
- Revise learning materials based on learner feedback or performance data
For example, imagine a healthcare company is introducing a new electronic health record system. Employees need to learn how to use the software before the system goes live.
An instructional designer might interview the company’s subject-matter experts, determine which tasks employees need to perform, create learning objectives, develop an online training course, build practice activities, and create an assessment. After employees complete the training, the instructional designer might review completion rates, assessment results, and feedback to determine whether the course needs to be changed.
That combination of analysis, design, technology, communication, and evaluation is what distinguishes instructional design from simply creating educational content.
Where Do Instructional Designers Work?
Instructional designers work in a wide range of industries. You don’t necessarily have to work for a school or college.
Higher Education
Colleges and universities hire instructional designers to help faculty develop online and hybrid courses. An instructional designer might work with a professor who has extensive knowledge of biology but limited experience designing online courses.
The designer can help the professor organize the course, establish learning objectives, develop assessments, select appropriate technology, and create an online learning experience that works for students.
Corporate Training
Businesses use instructional designers to develop employee training.
Projects might include:
- New employee onboarding
- Leadership development
- Software training
- Sales training
- Workplace safety
- Compliance training
- Professional development
- Product training
Corporate instructional designers often work closely with subject-matter experts, managers, human resources professionals, and learning and development teams.
Healthcare
Healthcare organizations need training for employees working in clinical, administrative, and technical roles.
For example, an instructional designer working for a hospital might develop training for a new clinical procedure, patient privacy requirements, medical software, or workplace safety program.
Healthcare can be an especially interesting area for someone who already has professional experience in nursing, healthcare administration, medical technology, or another healthcare field. That existing knowledge can provide subject-matter expertise that is useful when designing training.
Government and Nonprofit Organizations
Government agencies and nonprofits also develop training for employees, contractors, volunteers, and the public.
Projects may involve workforce development, employee training, public education, or professional development.
EdTech Companies
Educational technology companies may employ instructional designers to create digital courses, learning platforms, assessments, simulations, and other educational products.
These positions can be particularly technology-focused and may overlap with roles such as learning experience designer or e-learning developer.
Instructional Designer vs. Related Careers
Instructional design overlaps with several other careers, but the focus isn’t always the same.
| Career | Primary Focus |
| Instructional Designer | Designing learning experiences and training |
| Curriculum Developer | Developing curriculum and educational content |
| Training and Development Specialist | Planning and delivering employee training |
| Learning Experience Designer | Designing the broader learner experience |
| Teacher | Providing direct instruction to students |
| Educational Technologist | Using technology to support teaching and learning |
There can be considerable overlap between these jobs. Employers may also use different titles for very similar positions, so searching for only “instructional designer” can cause you to miss relevant opportunities.
Steps to Become an Instructional Designer
There isn’t one required sequence for entering the field. However, the following steps can provide a practical roadmap.
1. Earn a Degree or Build Relevant Educational Experience
A degree can provide a structured way to learn instructional design, education, technology, psychology, and related subjects.
Potential degree fields include:
- Instructional design
- Instructional technology
- Educational technology
- Education
- Psychology
- Communications
- Human resources
- English or writing
- Computer science or information technology
You don’t necessarily need a degree specifically titled “instructional design.” Someone with a bachelor’s degree in communications, for example, may already have strong writing, presentation, and communication skills that transfer well to the profession.
Likewise, someone with a teaching background may already understand lesson planning, assessment, learner needs, and classroom instruction. The main challenge may be developing technology and e-learning skills.
It’s also important to distinguish instructional designer from instructional coordinator as an occupational category. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says instructional coordinators typically need a master’s degree and related work experience, particularly for school-based positions. Public-school positions may also have licensing requirements.
Those requirements shouldn’t automatically be interpreted as a universal requirement for every job advertised as an instructional designer. Employers outside traditional K-12 curriculum roles may establish different education and experience requirements.
2. Learn Instructional Design Principles
Technology is only one part of instructional design. You also need to understand how to structure learning.
Some concepts worth learning include:
- Learning objectives
- Needs analysis
- Adult learning theory
- Assessment design
- Backward design
- Bloom’s taxonomy
- ADDIE
- Cognitive load
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
What Is ADDIE?
ADDIE is a commonly used instructional design framework built around five phases:
- Analysis
- Design
- Development
- Implementation
- Evaluation
You don’t have to treat ADDIE as a rigid five-step process. The framework is useful because it encourages instructional designers to start by understanding the learning problem rather than immediately creating a course.
For example, suppose a company’s sales representatives aren’t closing enough deals.
A weak approach would be to immediately create a sales training course.
An instructional designer would first ask questions such as:
- Do employees actually lack knowledge?
- Do they understand the product?
- Are they having trouble explaining the product’s value?
- Is the sales process confusing?
- Are compensation or management issues affecting performance?
- What are successful sales representatives doing differently?
The answers might reveal that training isn’t even the primary solution. That type of analysis is an important part of professional instructional design.
3. Understand How to Design for Different Learners
Instructional designers also need to consider accessibility and learner variability.
Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, provides a framework for designing learning experiences that reduce barriers and give learners multiple ways to engage with content, access information, and demonstrate what they know. CAST, the organization that developed UDL, organizes the framework around Engagement, Representation, and Action & Expression.
In practice, that might mean:
- Providing captions for video
- Using clear headings and readable layouts
- Offering information in multiple formats
- Making digital materials accessible to people using assistive technologies
- Giving learners appropriate ways to practice or demonstrate knowledge
- Avoiding unnecessary visual or cognitive complexity
Accessibility shouldn’t be treated as something added after a course is finished. It can be considered during the initial design process.
4. Develop Instructional Design Technology Skills
Instructional designers frequently work with technology, but you don’t need to master every software program on the market.
Start by learning the types of tools employers commonly use.
E-Learning Authoring Tools
Authoring tools allow designers to build interactive online courses.
Examples include:
- Articulate Storyline
- Articulate Rise
- Adobe Captivate
You might use an authoring tool to create an interactive scenario in which employees choose how they would respond to a workplace situation.
Learning Management Systems
Learning management systems, or LMS platforms, are used to deliver and manage online learning.
Examples include:
- Canvas
- Moodle
- Blackboard
- Corporate LMS platforms
An instructional designer may upload courses, organize modules, create assessments, review completion data, and work with administrators to maintain courses.
Content and Design Tools
Depending on the position, you may also use:
- PowerPoint
- Canva
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Video-editing software
- Screen-recording tools
- Audio-editing software
You don’t have to become a professional graphic designer or video producer. The goal is to understand enough about these tools to create effective learning materials and collaborate with specialists when a project requires more advanced production.
5. Gain Practical Experience
One of the biggest challenges for someone entering instructional design is the familiar problem of needing experience to get a job and needing a job to get experience.
You can work around this by creating your own projects.
Consider developing:
- A short e-learning course
- A training presentation
- A course storyboard
- An employee onboarding module
- A software-training tutorial
- A knowledge assessment
- A job aid
- A redesigned version of an existing course
The project doesn’t have to be for a real employer.
For example, you could create a hypothetical 15-minute training course called “How to Handle a Difficult Customer Conversation.” You could define the target audience, write three learning objectives, develop a short scenario, create practice questions, and build the course in an authoring tool.
That gives you something concrete to discuss during an interview.
6. Build an Instructional Design Portfolio
A portfolio can help demonstrate what you can actually do.
This is particularly useful for career changers and recent graduates who don’t have several years of professional instructional design experience.
A portfolio might include three to five strong projects rather than a large collection of unfinished work.
For each project, explain:
- The problem: What learning need were you addressing?
- The audience: Who was supposed to learn the material?
- The objectives: What should learners be able to do afterward?
- Your approach: Why did you structure the learning experience that way?
- Tools: What software did you use?
- Final product: What did you create?
- Results: If it was used with real learners, what happened?
For example, don’t simply write:
“Created an online employee training course.”
Instead, explain the thinking behind the project:
“Designed a 20-minute onboarding module for new customer service representatives. The course uses branching scenarios to allow learners to practice responding to common customer complaints before completing a knowledge assessment.”
The second example gives an employer a much better sense of your instructional design skills.
7. Consider an Instructional Design Certification
Certification can be one way to demonstrate professional development, but it isn’t automatically required for every instructional design position.
Before paying for a certification, look at actual job postings you’re interested in.
Ask:
- Do employers mention certification?
- Which certifications do they recognize?
- Would the program give me practical experience?
- Will I leave with portfolio projects?
- Does it teach tools employers actually use?
- Is the cost reasonable compared with the potential benefit?
A certificate program and a professional certification aren’t necessarily the same thing. A university or training provider may award a certificate after completing coursework, while a professional certification generally represents meeting requirements established by a professional organization or certifying body.
For someone starting from scratch, a program that teaches instructional design while producing portfolio projects may provide more immediate value than a credential that adds a line to a résumé but doesn’t demonstrate practical ability.
8. Apply for Instructional Design Jobs
Once you have relevant skills and several portfolio projects, begin looking for positions.
Search beyond the exact phrase “instructional designer.”
Potential titles include:
- Junior Instructional Designer
- Instructional Designer
- Senior Instructional Designer
- Learning Designer
- Learning Experience Designer
- E-Learning Developer
- Instructional Technologist
- Curriculum Developer
- Training Specialist
- Learning and Development Specialist
O*NET’s current occupational classification specifically includes Instructional Designer and several related titles under Instructional Coordinators, which illustrates why job seekers should search across multiple titles.
Do You Need a Degree to Become an Instructional Designer?
Not necessarily.
There isn’t one universal educational requirement for every job using the title “instructional designer.” Requirements vary considerably by employer, industry, and level of responsibility.
A bachelor’s degree can make you a stronger candidate and may be required for some positions. An instructional design, educational technology, education, psychology, communications, or related degree can provide relevant preparation.
A master’s degree can be useful for advancement or for positions that specifically require graduate-level education. It is also more directly aligned with some school-based instructional coordinator positions, where the BLS identifies a master’s degree and related experience as typical requirements.
For a career changer who already has a bachelor’s degree, however, earning another four-year degree may not be the most efficient option. Building instructional design skills, learning relevant technology, completing a portfolio, and gaining related experience may be a better path depending on the person’s background and target jobs.
Best Degrees for Instructional Designers
- Instructional Design: An instructional design degree is the most direct academic path. Coursework may cover instructional theories, learning technologies, course development, assessment, and instructional systems.
- Educational Technology: Educational technology programs combine learning theory with technology. This can be useful for people interested in online learning, e-learning development, and digital education.
- Education: An education degree can provide a strong foundation in teaching, assessment, curriculum, and learning. Teachers transitioning into instructional design may already have many of these skills.
- Psychology: A psychology degree can be useful because instructional design involves understanding how people learn, process information, stay motivated, and develop skills.
- Communications: A communications degree can help you build strong communication skills, which are useful when interviewing subject-matter experts, writing instructional materials, presenting ideas, and collaborating with clients or internal teams.
- Human Resources: A degree in human resources can be a useful background for people interested in corporate learning and development, employee training, onboarding, and professional development.
- English or Writing: An English degree can help you develop strong writing skills that can translate well into instructional design, particularly for roles involving course development, instructional content, scripts, and learning materials.
How to Become an Instructional Designer Without Experience
You don’t necessarily have to start with a traditional instructional designer job.
Instead, look for ways to demonstrate the skills employers need.
Start With Your Transferable Skills
Think about what you already know.
A teacher might have experience with:
- Lesson planning
- Assessment
- Classroom technology
- Curriculum
- Differentiated instruction
A corporate trainer might have:
- Presentation skills
- Employee training
- Needs assessment
- Facilitation
- Performance measurement
A communications professional might have:
- Writing
- Research
- Content development
- Interviewing
- Project management
The goal is to translate those experiences into language that makes sense to an instructional design employer.
Create Portfolio Projects
If you have no professional instructional design experience, create realistic projects that demonstrate your abilities.
For example, a career changer could take a publicly available topic such as workplace cybersecurity and create a short hypothetical training course.
The portfolio could show:
- The target audience
- The identified learning problem
- Learning objectives
- Course outline
- Storyboard
- Interactive activity
- Assessment
- Final course
This demonstrates the process – not just the finished product.
Learn One Authoring Tool Well
Don’t try to learn every instructional design software program at once.
Pick one major authoring tool and become comfortable creating a complete project with it. Once you understand how interactive courses are structured, learning another tool becomes easier.
Look for Adjacent Roles
A first job doesn’t have to have “instructional designer” in the title.
Consider roles such as:
- Training coordinator
- Learning and development coordinator
- Curriculum specialist
- E-learning developer
- Training specialist
- Content developer
These positions can help you build experience that makes a later transition into instructional design easier.
Use Your Existing Industry Knowledge
Your previous career can actually be an advantage.
Imagine someone who spent five years working in healthcare and then learned instructional design. That person could pursue instructional design roles with hospitals, medical education companies, healthcare technology companies, or pharmaceutical organizations.
They may understand terminology and workflows that a new instructional designer would have to learn from scratch.
Skills You Need to Become an Instructional Designer
Instructional design is a multidisciplinary career. The strongest candidates often combine several different types of skills.
Instructional Design Skills
You should understand:
- Learning objectives
- Needs analysis
- Course design
- Assessment
- Curriculum development
- Adult learning
- Learning evaluation
- Accessibility
You don’t need to memorize every instructional design theory. You do need to understand why you’re making particular design decisions.
Technical Skills
Depending on the position, you may need experience with:
- E-learning authoring software
- Learning management systems
- Presentation software
- Graphic design tools
- Video and audio tools
- Screen-recording software
- Basic web or multimedia concepts
Communication Skills
Instructional designers frequently work with people who aren’t instructional designers.
A subject-matter expert may know everything about accounting but have no idea how to turn that knowledge into an online course.
Your job may be to ask the right questions, identify what learners actually need, and turn complicated information into understandable instruction.
Project Management Skills
Instructional design projects often involve multiple people and deadlines.
You may need to:
- Organize content
- Manage project timelines
- Track revisions
- Communicate with stakeholders
- Coordinate reviews
- Keep projects moving toward completion
AI Skills
AI is also becoming another tool in the instructional designer’s toolkit.
It can help with tasks such as:
- Brainstorming learning activities
- Generating initial drafts
- Creating practice questions
- Developing scenario ideas
- Summarizing source material
- Creating variations of instructional content
- Analyzing learner feedback
However, AI-generated content still needs human review. An instructional designer needs to check accuracy, instructional quality, accessibility, tone, and whether the material actually supports the learning objective.
AI can help produce content faster, but it doesn’t replace the underlying instructional design decisions.
How Much Do Instructional Designers Make?
There isn’t a single government salary category that perfectly captures every instructional designer because employers use different job titles and occupational classifications.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $77,440 for instructional coordinators in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $47,980, while the highest 10% earned more than $121,670.
However, that figure should not be treated as a guaranteed salary for an instructional designer. Instructional coordinators include a broader range of education and curriculum professionals, and salaries can vary substantially based on industry, location, experience, education, and job responsibilities.
Corporate instructional design positions, for example, may have different compensation structures from school-based curriculum roles.
When researching salary, look at the actual job titles and industries you’re interested in rather than relying on a single national number.
Instructional Designer Job Outlook
The outlook for instructional design is somewhat difficult to measure because instructional designers work across several occupational categories and employers use a variety of job titles.
One useful comparison is the BLS category for Training and Development Specialists, which includes professionals involved in planning and administering training programs. BLS projects employment in that occupation to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3% for all occupations, with about 46,000 openings projected annually on average.
The BLS projects Instructional Coordinators to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 23,100 openings per year on average. Most of those openings are expected to come from workers leaving the occupation or moving into other occupations rather than from employment growth alone.
These figures don’t mean every instructional designer will experience the same job market. The opportunities available to you will depend on the industry, your experience, location, technical skills, and the types of learning projects you can demonstrate.
Where Can Instructional Designers Work?
The industry you choose can significantly change what you do from day to day.
| Industry | Examples of Instructional Design Work |
| Higher Education | Online courses, faculty development, assessments |
| Corporate | Employee onboarding, software training, leadership development |
| Healthcare | Clinical training, compliance, software systems |
| Government | Employee and workforce training |
| EdTech | Digital courses, interactive lessons, learning products |
| Nonprofit | Educational programs and professional development |
| K-12 Education | Curriculum, digital learning, teacher training |
This variety is one reason instructional design can appeal to career changers. You don’t necessarily have to start over in an entirely unfamiliar industry.
For example, an experienced HR professional could pursue corporate learning and development. A teacher might focus on K-12, higher education, or EdTech. A healthcare professional might target healthcare training.
Instructional Designer Career Path
There is no universal career ladder, but a potential progression might look like this:
Entry level
Junior Instructional Designer
↓
Instructional Designer
Mid-career
Senior Instructional Designer
↓
Learning Experience Designer
↓
Lead Instructional Designer
Leadership
Learning and Development Manager
↓
Director of Learning and Development
↓
Learning or Talent Development Executive
Another path is to specialize rather than move into management. Experienced instructional designers may specialize in areas such as e-learning development, learning technology, accessibility, assessment, simulations, or a particular industry.
Is Instructional Design a Good Career?
Instructional design can be a good career for people who enjoy combining education, technology, communication, and problem-solving.
It may be a good fit if you:
- Enjoy figuring out how people learn
- Like writing and organizing information
- Enjoy technology
- Want to create educational materials
- Like solving problems
- Are comfortable working with different types of people
- Enjoy both creative and analytical work
- Want to work in education without necessarily being a classroom teacher
It may be less appealing if you:
- Strongly dislike technology
- Don’t enjoy writing or revising content
- Prefer working independently with little collaboration
- Don’t like receiving feedback on your work
- Prefer highly predictable responsibilities
- Want a job that involves direct, daily interaction with students or trainees
It’s also worth understanding that instructional design isn’t simply a creative job. You may spend considerable time reviewing content, interviewing subject-matter experts, revising courses, managing projects, testing technology, and responding to stakeholder feedback.
How Long Does It Take to Become an Instructional Designer?
The timeline depends heavily on your starting point.
| Path | Possible Timeline |
| Existing bachelor’s degree + portfolio development | Several months to build foundational skills and projects |
| Bachelor’s degree in instructional design or related field | Typically about 4 years |
| Master’s degree | Often 1–3 years, depending on the program and prior education |
| Career changer with related professional experience | Varies based on existing skills |
Someone who already has a bachelor’s degree in education and several years of teaching experience may need only to develop e-learning technology skills and a portfolio.
Someone starting without a college degree and without related professional experience may need a longer path.
There is no requirement to follow the longest route. The right approach depends on your existing education, experience, career goals, and the requirements of the jobs you want.
FAQs About Becoming an Instructional Designer
Can I become an instructional designer without a degree?
Yes, some people enter instructional design without a degree specifically related to the field, and some employers may consider candidates based on their experience and skills. However, a bachelor’s degree is commonly useful and may be required for some positions. A strong portfolio can help demonstrate practical ability, particularly for candidates changing careers.
What degree is best for instructional design?
Instructional design, instructional technology, educational technology, and education are among the most directly relevant degrees. Psychology, communications, human resources, writing, and technology degrees can also provide useful preparation.
Can teachers become instructional designers?
Yes. Teachers often have transferable skills in lesson planning, assessment, curriculum development, communication, and understanding learner needs. Teachers transitioning into instructional design may need to add skills in e-learning authoring tools, learning management systems, and digital course development.
How long does it take to become an instructional designer?
It can take several months for someone who already has relevant education or professional experience to build the necessary skills and portfolio. Earning a bachelor’s degree typically takes about four years, while a master’s degree can take one to three years depending on the program and the student’s previous education.
Do instructional designers need certification?
Not necessarily. Certification requirements vary by employer, and many instructional design positions do not require a specific professional certification. Before pursuing one, review job postings in your target industry to determine whether employers actually value the credential.
Is instructional design a good career?
Instructional design can be a good career for people who enjoy education, technology, writing, problem-solving, and creating learning experiences. It can also provide opportunities across industries, including higher education, corporate training, healthcare, government, and EdTech.
Can instructional designers work remotely?
Some instructional design positions are remote or hybrid, particularly roles focused on digital learning and corporate training. Remote availability varies by employer and should be confirmed in individual job postings.
What software do instructional designers use?
Common categories include e-learning authoring tools, learning management systems, presentation software, graphic design programs, video tools, and screen-recording software. Specific requirements vary by employer.
What should I include in an instructional design portfolio?
Include several strong examples that demonstrate your ability to analyze a learning problem, establish objectives, design instruction, use technology, and evaluate learning. Include an explanation of your design decisions rather than showing only the finished product.
How do I get my first instructional design job?
Start by identifying transferable skills, learning instructional design fundamentals, developing proficiency with at least one relevant technology, and creating a portfolio. Apply to instructional designer positions as well as related roles such as training specialist, curriculum developer, learning and development coordinator, and e-learning developer.
Start Your Career in Instructional Design
Becoming an instructional designer doesn’t require following one predetermined career path.
If you already have a degree or professional background, you may be able to transition into the field by building instructional design knowledge, developing technology skills, and creating a portfolio. If you’re starting earlier in your education, a bachelor’s degree in instructional design, educational technology, education, or a related field can provide a more structured foundation.
A practical path looks like this:
- Learn what instructional designers actually do.
- Identify the skills you already have that transfer to the field.
- Learn instructional design principles and learning theory.
- Develop skills with relevant e-learning and learning technology tools.
- Create several realistic portfolio projects.
- Gain related experience through work, volunteering, internships, or adjacent roles.
- Consider a degree, certificate, or certification based on the requirements of your target jobs.
- Search for instructional design and related positions across multiple job titles.
For people interested in a formal education path, an online degree can make it possible to develop instructional design knowledge while continuing to work. Compare programs based on curriculum, hands-on projects, technology training, flexibility, cost, and whether the program helps you graduate with work you can use in a professional portfolio.
Ready to explore your options? Find an online degree program that can help you build the education and skills for a career in instructional design.