Best Instructional Design Schools Near Columbus, IN (2026)

Columbus, Indiana has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs, with tuition ranging from $18,161 to $41,221 per year for indexed programs. Columbus has a population of about 51,970. In Indiana, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $105,130 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Instructional Design Schools to Columbus

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer instructional design programs near Columbus, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Columbus 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 Columbus. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

Indiana University-Bloomington

Bloomington, IN 32.5 miles from Columbus
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
82.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,742
Avg net price $16,264/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 192

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

American College of Education

Indianapolis, IN 40.9 miles from Columbus
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Ball State University

Muncie, IN 74.0 miles from Columbus
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,833
Avg net price $14,940/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 175

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, IN 81.5 miles from Columbus
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,387
Avg net price $10,873/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 102

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Purdue University Global

West Lafayette, IN 101.5 miles from Columbus
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,596
Avg net price $7,770/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 43%
  • Programs offered: 90

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Instructional Design Wages Near Columbus

Columbus is part of the Columbus, IN metro area (BLS area code 18020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Indiana statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $66,300 IN statewide $71,290
Training and Development Specialists $59,520 Columbus, IN $64,000
Training and Development Managers $105,130 IN statewide $113,043
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $66,150 IN statewide $71,129
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $37,600 IN statewide $40,430
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $98,000 IN statewide $105,376
Farm and Home Management Educators $65,740 IN statewide $70,688
Graphic Designers $55,480 IN statewide $59,656

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.


Columbus at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.0 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Columbus-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Columbus, IN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Columbus. The closest is Indiana University-Bloomington in Bloomington, IN (32.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (75.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Columbus are: Training and Development Managers ($105,130), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($98,000), Instructional Coordinators ($66,300). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Indiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Seymour instead of Columbus?

Seymour, IN is 18.0 miles from Columbus 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.

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 Columbus

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.