Best Instructional Design Schools Near Wheat Ridge, CO (2026)

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

Wheat Ridge, Colorado has 4 accredited schools offering instructional design programs, with tuition ranging from $13,373 to $78,476 per year for indexed programs. Wheat Ridge has a population of about 32,158. Median household income is $87,598 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.4% 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 Wheat Ridge

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer instructional design programs near Wheat Ridge, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge. 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 5.6 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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 9.9 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 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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#3

University of Northern Colorado

Greeley, CO 49.1 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,231
Avg net price $17,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Colorado State University-Fort Collins

Fort Collins, CO 55.4 miles from Wheat Ridge
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
69.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 89%
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,543
Avg net price $21,279/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,373
Out‑of‑state$34,783
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 144

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 Wheat Ridge

Wheat Ridge 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.

Wheat Ridge at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 32,158 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $87,598 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 44.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 105.8 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Wheat Ridge-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Wheat Ridge, CO?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Wheat Ridge. The closest is Metropolitan State University of Denver in Denver, CO (5.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Colorado State University-Fort Collins (55.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying instructional design roles near Wheat Ridge?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Wheat Ridge 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 Arvada instead of Wheat Ridge?

Arvada, CO is 4.8 miles from Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge an affordable place to study instructional design?

Wheat Ridge’s median household income of $87,598 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wheat Ridge 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 Wheat Ridge

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

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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