Best Instructional Design Schools Near Hackensack, NJ (2026)

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

Hackensack, New Jersey has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. Hackensack has a population of about 45,768. Median household income is $82,212 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 41.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $173,810 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Hackensack

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

William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ 8.9 miles from Hackensack
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,780
Avg net price $18,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Saint Peter's University

Jersey City, NJ 11.3 miles from Hackensack
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,815
Avg net price $12,199/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Essex County College

Newark, NJ 12.5 miles from Hackensack
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
43.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,230
Avg net price $4,436/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,415
Out‑of‑state$9,523
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

New Jersey City University

Jersey City, NJ 12.6 miles from Hackensack
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,745
Avg net price $16,053/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Warren County Community College

Washington, NJ 51.8 miles from Hackensack
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,359
Avg net price $5,726/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Thomas Edison State University

Trenton, NJ 59.8 miles from Hackensack
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,331
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Rowan University

Glassboro, NJ 99.2 miles from Hackensack
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
68.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,988
Avg net price $22,408/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,574
Out‑of‑state$26,932
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 184

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Stockton University

Galloway, NJ 99.9 miles from Hackensack
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,602
Avg net price $20,670/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Hackensack

Hackensack is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New Jersey statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $85,730 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $76,137
Training and Development Specialists $79,840 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $70,906
Training and Development Managers $173,810 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $154,361
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $80,640 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $71,616
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $51,620 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $45,844
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $137,800 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $122,380
Farm and Home Management Educators $47,020 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $41,758
Graphic Designers $79,280 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $70,409

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.

Hackensack at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 45,768 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $82,212 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 41.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 112.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Hackensack-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Hackensack, NJ?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Hackensack. The closest is Teachers College at Columbia University in New York, NY (7.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is New York University (11.3 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Hackensack are: Training and Development Managers ($173,810), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($137,800), Instructional Coordinators ($85,730). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New Jersey statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Lodi instead of Hackensack?

Lodi, NJ is 2.0 miles from Hackensack 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 Hackensack an affordable place to study instructional design?

Hackensack’s median household income of $82,212 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Hackensack while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New Jersey 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 Hackensack

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

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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