Best Instructional Design Schools Near Springfield, MA (2026)

Springfield, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. Springfield has a population of about 154,751. Median household income is $51,339 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Springfield, MA metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $146,340 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Instructional Design Schools to Springfield

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

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Amherst, MA 18.7 miles from Springfield
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
79.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,631
Avg net price $22,383/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 166

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA 39.0 miles from Springfield
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $103,470
Avg net price $43,071/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Framingham State University

Framingham, MA 57.8 miles from Springfield
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,349
Avg net price $16,114/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA 71.7 miles from Springfield
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 91%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $103,937
Avg net price $41,704/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 91

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA 74.9 miles from Springfield
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
90.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $101,817
Avg net price $19,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 174

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Lesley University

Cambridge, MA 75.0 miles from Springfield
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,173
Avg net price $31,152/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Northeastern University Professional Programs

Boston, MA 75.8 miles from Springfield
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
79.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,538
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Massachusetts-Boston

Boston, MA 78.1 miles from Springfield
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,865
Avg net price $17,707/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 96

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Instructional Design Wages Near Springfield

Springfield is part of the Springfield, MA metro area (BLS area code 44140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $76,480 Springfield, MA $79,584
Training and Development Specialists $70,030 Springfield, MA $72,872
Training and Development Managers $146,340 Springfield, MA $152,279
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $75,330 Springfield, MA $78,387
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $62,630 MA statewide $65,172
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $107,050 Springfield, MA $111,394
Farm and Home Management Educators $66,920 MA statewide $69,636
Graphic Designers $63,760 Springfield, MA $66,348

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.


Springfield at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 154,751 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $51,339 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 19.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 96.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Springfield-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Springfield, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Springfield. The closest is University of Massachusetts-Amherst in Amherst, MA (18.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Eastern Connecticut State University (31.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Springfield are: Training and Development Managers ($146,340), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($107,050), Instructional Coordinators ($76,480). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Chicopee instead of Springfield?

Chicopee, MA is 4.5 miles from Springfield 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 Springfield an affordable place to study instructional design?

Springfield’s median household income of $51,339 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Springfield while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Massachusetts 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 Springfield

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

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.