Best Instructional Design Schools Near Fort Walton Beach, FL

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

Fort Walton Beach, Florida has 3 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. Fort Walton Beach has a population of about 20,956. Median household income is $66,556 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $124,520 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Fort Walton Beach

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

University of West Florida

Pensacola, FL 36.7 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,137
Avg net price $9,364/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL 138.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,675
Avg net price $11,297/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 148

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Saint Leo University

Saint Leo, FL 299.6 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,364
Avg net price $21,293/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of South Florida

Tampa, FL 301.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
81.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 43%
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,743
Avg net price $9,812/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,410
Out‑of‑state$17,324
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 151

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

The University of Tampa

Tampa, FL 303.4 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
58.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 40%
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,436
Avg net price $36,211/yr
Tuition
In‑state$34,408
Out‑of‑state$34,408
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, FL 304.8 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,343
Avg net price $10,154/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 89

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Full Sail University

Winter Park, FL 343.8 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
22.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,219
Avg net price $38,875/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 59%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Ana G. Mendez University

Orlando, FL 346.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
Avg net price $19,775/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Fort Walton Beach

Fort Walton Beach is part of the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area (BLS area code 18880). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $75,300 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $77,629
Training and Development Specialists $78,980 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $81,423
Training and Development Managers $124,520 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $128,371
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $63,640 FL statewide $65,608
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $47,030 FL statewide $48,485
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $83,840 FL statewide $86,433
Farm and Home Management Educators $49,090 FL statewide $50,608
Graphic Designers $65,560 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL $67,588

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.

Fort Walton Beach at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 20,956 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $66,556 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 27.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 97.0 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Fort Walton Beach-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Fort Walton Beach, FL?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Fort Walton Beach. The closest is University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL (36.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Mobile (93.3 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying instructional design roles near Fort Walton Beach?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Fort Walton Beach are: Training and Development Managers ($124,520), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($83,840), Training and Development Specialists ($78,980). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Crestview instead of Fort Walton Beach?

Crestview, FL is 22.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach 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 Fort Walton Beach an affordable place to study instructional design?

Fort Walton Beach’s median household income of $66,556 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Walton Beach while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida 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 Fort Walton Beach

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fort Walton Beach:

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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