Best Instructional Design Schools Near Allentown, PA (2026)

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

Allentown, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. Allentown has a population of about 125,320. Median household income is $53,403 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $117,870 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Allentown

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

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA 5.1 miles from Allentown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $105,584
Avg net price $36,931/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 95

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown, PA 17.2 miles from Allentown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,775
Avg net price $21,331/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

East Stroudsburg, PA 31.8 miles from Allentown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,148
Avg net price $18,134/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, PA 44.9 miles from Allentown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,258
Avg net price $23,331/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA 45.1 miles from Allentown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,235
Avg net price $13,143/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA 45.7 miles from Allentown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,727
Avg net price $28,198/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 230

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA 46.8 miles from Allentown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $84,648
Avg net price $38,509/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 187

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA 47.0 miles from Allentown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
83.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $111,371
Avg net price $28,699/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 188

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Allentown

Allentown is part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area (BLS area code 10900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $72,150 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ $72,150
Training and Development Specialists $65,970 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ $65,970
Training and Development Managers $117,870 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ $117,870
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $60,010 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ $60,010
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $39,730 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ $39,730
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $102,370 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ $102,370
Farm and Home Management Educators $45,970 PA statewide $45,970
Graphic Designers $59,710 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ $59,710

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.

Allentown at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 125,320 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $53,403 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 19.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 100.0 (at U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Allentown-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Allentown, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Allentown. The closest is Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA (5.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is West Chester University of Pennsylvania (44.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Allentown are: Training and Development Managers ($117,870), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($102,370), Instructional Coordinators ($72,150). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Bethlehem instead of Allentown?

Bethlehem, PA is 6.0 miles from Allentown 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 Allentown an affordable place to study instructional design?

Allentown’s median household income of $53,403 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Allentown while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Allentown

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

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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