Best Instructional Design Schools Near Denver, CO (2026)

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

Denver, Colorado has 4 accredited schools offering instructional design programs, with tuition ranging from $13,373 to $78,476 per year for indexed programs. Denver has a population of about 713,734. Median household income is $91,681 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 55.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $144,370 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Denver

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer instructional design programs near Denver, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Denver 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 Denver. 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

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Denver, CO 7.0 miles from Denver
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
43.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,093
Avg net price $15,327/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 107

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Denver

Denver, CO 7.4 miles from Denver
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
70.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,155
Avg net price $36,131/yr
Tuition
In‑state$61,398
Out‑of‑state$61,398
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 116

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Denver

Denver is part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (BLS area code 19740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Colorado statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $82,880 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $78,336
Training and Development Specialists $79,000 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $74,669
Training and Development Managers $144,370 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $136,456
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $75,040 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $70,926
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $70,600 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $66,730
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $120,560 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $113,951
Farm and Home Management Educators $66,230 CO statewide $62,599
Graphic Designers $72,500 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $68,526

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.

Denver at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 713,734 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $91,681 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 55.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 105.8 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Denver-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Denver, CO?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Denver. The closest is Metropolitan State University of Denver in Denver, CO (7.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Colorado State University-Fort Collins (57.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying instructional design roles near Denver?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Denver are: Training and Development Managers ($144,370), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($120,560), Instructional Coordinators ($82,880). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Colorado statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Commerce City instead of Denver?

Commerce City, CO is 7.2 miles from Denver 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 Denver an affordable place to study instructional design?

Denver’s median household income of $91,681 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Denver while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Colorado 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 Denver

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

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.

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