Best Instructional Design Schools Near Dayton, OH (2026)

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

Dayton, Ohio has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs, with tuition ranging from $18,161 to $41,221 per year for indexed programs. Dayton has a population of about 136,741. Median household income is $43,454 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $117,820 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Dayton

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

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH 3.1 miles from Dayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 80%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,537
Avg net price $29,533/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 114

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Wright State University-Main Campus

Dayton, OH 7.2 miles from Dayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,500
Avg net price $15,415/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Dayton

Dayton is part of the Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro area (BLS area code 19430). 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 $61,820 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $66,688
Training and Development Specialists $59,470 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $64,153
Training and Development Managers $117,820 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $127,098
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $62,400 OH statewide $67,314
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $54,370 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $58,652
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $79,750 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $86,030
Farm and Home Management Educators N/A OH statewide –
Graphic Designers $61,030 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH $65,836

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.

Dayton at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 136,741 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $43,454 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 20.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Dayton-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Dayton. The closest is University of Dayton in Dayton, OH (3.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Ball State University (70.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Dayton are: Training and Development Managers ($117,820), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($79,750), Education Teachers, Postsecondary ($62,400). 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 Riverside instead of Dayton?

Riverside, OH is 4.1 miles from Dayton 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 Dayton an affordable place to study instructional design?

Dayton’s median household income of $43,454 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Dayton 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 Dayton

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

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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