Best Instructional Design Schools Near Houston, TX (2026)

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

Houston, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs, with tuition ranging from $9,228 to $25,505 per year for indexed programs. Houston has a population of about 2,300,419. Median household income is $62,894 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $126,890 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Houston

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

Houston Christian University

Houston, TX 9.8 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,933
Avg net price $20,629/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Houston, TX 22.7 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,004
Avg net price $15,563/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Houston

Houston is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (BLS area code 26420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $77,430 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $78,529
Training and Development Specialists $62,630 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $63,519
Training and Development Managers $126,890 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $128,692
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $78,510 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $79,625
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $37,640 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $38,174
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $105,700 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $107,201
Farm and Home Management Educators $48,140 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $48,824
Graphic Designers $58,400 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $59,229

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.

Houston at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 2,300,419 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $62,894 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 36.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Houston-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Houston, TX?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Houston. The closest is Houston Christian University in Houston, TX (9.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Texas A&M University-College Station (80.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Houston are: Training and Development Managers ($126,890), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($105,700), Education Teachers, Postsecondary ($78,510). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Pearland instead of Houston?

Pearland, TX is 16.4 miles from Houston 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 Houston an affordable place to study instructional design?

Houston’s median household income of $62,894 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Houston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Houston

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

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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