Best Instructional Design Schools Near Cleveland, OH (2026)

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

Cleveland, Ohio has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. Cleveland has a population of about 367,523. Median household income is $39,187 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Cleveland, OH metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $130,610 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Cleveland

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

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH 1.8 miles from Cleveland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,131
Avg net price $14,764/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 123

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Cleveland

Cleveland is part of the Cleveland, OH metro area (BLS area code 17410). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Ohio statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $78,620 Cleveland, OH $83,727
Training and Development Specialists $70,060 Cleveland, OH $74,611
Training and Development Managers $130,610 Cleveland, OH $139,095
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $60,990 Cleveland, OH $64,952
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $42,690 Cleveland, OH $45,463
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $87,500 Cleveland, OH $93,184
Farm and Home Management Educators N/A OH statewide –
Graphic Designers $59,780 Cleveland, OH $63,663

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.

Cleveland at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 367,523 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $39,187 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 21.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.9 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Cleveland-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Cleveland, OH?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Cleveland. The closest is Cleveland State University in Cleveland, OH (1.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Wayne State University (93.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Cleveland are: Training and Development Managers ($130,610), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($87,500), Instructional Coordinators ($78,620). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Ohio statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Garfield Heights instead of Cleveland?

Garfield Heights, OH is 5.6 miles from Cleveland 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 Cleveland an affordable place to study instructional design?

Cleveland’s median household income of $39,187 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cleveland while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Ohio 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 Cleveland

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

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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