Best Instructional Design Schools Near Santa Barbara, CA

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Santa Barbara, California has 4 accredited schools offering instructional design programs, with tuition ranging from $7,160 to $20,485 per year for indexed programs. Santa Barbara has a population of about 88,024. Median household income is $101,672 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Education Administrators, Postsecondary at a median $153,950 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Santa Barbara

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer instructional design programs near Santa Barbara, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Barbara city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Santa Barbara. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA 63.9 miles from Santa Barbara
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $82,939
Avg net price $58,098/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 69.2 miles from Santa Barbara
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,115
Avg net price $7,021/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

The Chicago School at Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 87.6 miles from Santa Barbara
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 92.1 miles from Santa Barbara
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
73.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,211
Avg net price $3,967/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,160
Out‑of‑state$19,760
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 79

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 102.2 miles from Santa Barbara
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
86.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,403
Avg net price $10,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 121

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California State University-Fullerton

Fullerton, CA 111.5 miles from Santa Barbara
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
85.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,951
Avg net price $6,555/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Concordia University-Irvine

Irvine, CA 121.6 miles from Santa Barbara
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,083
Avg net price $28,115/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Massachusetts Global

Aliso Viejo, CA 128.2 miles from Santa Barbara
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
44.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,703
Avg net price $32,654/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 52%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California instructional design page.

Instructional Design Wages Near Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is part of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area (BLS area code 42200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $95,790 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $88,042
Training and Development Specialists $75,890 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $69,752
Training and Development Managers $140,150 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $128,814
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $111,850 CA statewide $102,803
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $48,930 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $44,972
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $153,950 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $141,498
Farm and Home Management Educators $98,770 CA statewide $90,781
Graphic Designers $78,500 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA $72,151

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Santa Barbara at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 88,024 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $101,672 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 50.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 108.8 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Barbara-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Santa Barbara, CA?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Santa Barbara. The closest is Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA (63.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Los Angeles (92.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying instructional design roles near Santa Barbara?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Santa Barbara are: Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($153,950), Training and Development Managers ($140,150), Education Teachers, Postsecondary ($111,850). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Goleta instead of Santa Barbara?

Goleta, CA is 8.0 miles from Santa Barbara and has its own set of local instructional design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Barbara an affordable place to study instructional design?

Santa Barbara’s median household income of $101,672 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Barbara while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Instructional Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Barbara

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Santa Barbara:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Instructional Design Schools in California (2026)