Best Instructional Design Schools Near Pittsburgh, PA (2026)

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

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. Pittsburgh has a population of about 303,620. Median household income is $64,137 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 47.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Pittsburgh, PA metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $113,020 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Pittsburgh

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

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA 0.9 miles from Pittsburgh
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 79%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,742
Avg net price $37,730/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 108

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus

Pittsburgh, PA 1.3 miles from Pittsburgh
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,125
Avg net price $30,434/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 239

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Point Park University

Pittsburgh, PA 1.4 miles from Pittsburgh
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
41.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,856
Avg net price $25,942/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 61

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is part of the Pittsburgh, PA metro area (BLS area code 38300). 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 $69,720 Pittsburgh, PA $73,622
Training and Development Specialists $71,580 Pittsburgh, PA $75,586
Training and Development Managers $113,020 Pittsburgh, PA $119,345
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $75,770 Pittsburgh, PA $80,011
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $44,490 Pittsburgh, PA $46,980
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $98,320 Pittsburgh, PA $103,823
Farm and Home Management Educators $45,970 PA statewide $48,543
Graphic Designers $57,830 Pittsburgh, PA $61,067

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.

Pittsburgh at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 303,620 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $64,137 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 47.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 94.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Pittsburgh-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Pittsburgh. The closest is Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA (0.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (43.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Pittsburgh are: Training and Development Managers ($113,020), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($98,320), Education Teachers, Postsecondary ($75,770). 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 Bethel Park instead of Pittsburgh?

Bethel Park, PA is 8.6 miles from Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh an affordable place to study instructional design?

Pittsburgh’s median household income of $64,137 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh

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

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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