Ottawa, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. Ottawa has a population of about 18,714. Median household income is $73,011 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Illinois, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $130,610 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Instructional Design Schools to Ottawa
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer instructional design programs near Ottawa, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Ottawa 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Ottawa.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,709
Avg net price
$18,838/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 44
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,808
Avg net price
$13,391/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 92
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,169
Avg net price
$12,329/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 58%
- Programs offered: 54
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,327
Avg net price
$11,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 63
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,089
Avg net price
$18,436/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 61%
- Programs offered: 70
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,530
Avg net price
$36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 168
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,163
Avg net price
$12,937/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 60%
- Programs offered: 83
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,346
Avg net price
$14,889/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 70
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois instructional design page.
Instructional Design Wages Near Ottawa
| Occupation |
Median Annual Wage (Illinois, statewide) |
| Instructional Coordinators |
$76,050 |
| Training and Development Specialists |
$67,380 |
| Training and Development Managers |
$130,610 |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary |
$61,560 |
| Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other |
$46,390 |
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary |
$99,770 |
| Farm and Home Management Educators |
N/A |
| Graphic Designers |
$62,560 |
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.
Ottawa at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
18,714 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$73,011 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
21.9% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
Other Ottawa-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs
- Peru, IL – 15.7 mi away (30,795 pop)
- Braidwood, IL – 32.1 mi away (22,563 pop)
- Oswego, IL – 34.3 mi away (34,571 pop)
- Plainfield, IL – 36.4 mi away (42,933 pop)
- Joliet, IL – 37.2 mi away (148,262 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited instructional design schools are near Ottawa, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Ottawa. The closest is Aurora University in Aurora, IL (37.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Concordia University-Chicago (64.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying instructional design roles in Illinois?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles in Illinois are: Training and Development Managers ($130,610), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($99,770), Instructional Coordinators ($76,050). Wages for Ottawa workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Peru instead of Ottawa?
Peru, IL is 15.7 miles from Ottawa 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 Ottawa an affordable place to study instructional design?
Ottawa’s median household income of $73,011 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Ottawa while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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 Ottawa
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Ottawa:
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- Retail Management programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Statistics programs in Ottawa, IL
- Taxation programs in Ottawa, IL
- Corrections programs in Ottawa, IL
- Crime Analysis programs in Ottawa, IL
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Cybercrime programs in Ottawa, IL
- Emergency Management programs in Ottawa, IL
- Fire Science programs in Ottawa, IL
- Forensic Science programs in Ottawa, IL
- Legal Services programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Paralegal programs in Ottawa, IL
- Security Management programs in Ottawa, IL
- Cloud Computing programs in Ottawa, IL
- Computer Engineering programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Mobile App Development programs in Ottawa, IL
- Software Development programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Supply Chain Management programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Public Health programs in Ottawa, IL
- Human Resources programs in Ottawa, IL
- Project Management programs in Ottawa, IL
- Special Education programs in Ottawa, IL
- Homeland Security programs in Ottawa, IL
- Marketing programs in Ottawa, IL
- Finance programs in Ottawa, IL
- Kinesiology programs in Ottawa, IL
- Sports Management programs in Ottawa, IL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Ottawa, IL
- Elementary Education programs in Ottawa, IL
- Biology programs in Ottawa, IL
- Communications programs in Ottawa, IL
- Graphic Design programs in Ottawa, IL
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- MBA programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Technology programs in Ottawa, IL
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- Accounting programs in Ottawa, IL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Ottawa, IL
- Social Work programs in Ottawa, IL
- Counseling programs in Ottawa, IL
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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