Best Instructional Design Schools Near San Marcos, TX (2026)

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

San Marcos, Texas has 3 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. San Marcos has a population of about 68,920. Median household income is $51,030 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $129,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to San Marcos

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer instructional design programs near San Marcos, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from San Marcos 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 San Marcos. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX 1.1 miles from San Marcos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,906
Avg net price $16,805/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 132

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near San Marcos

San Marcos is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area (BLS area code 12420). 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 $78,740 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $80,265
Training and Development Specialists $71,710 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $73,099
Training and Development Managers $129,940 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $132,457
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $76,870 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $78,359
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $52,870 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $53,894
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $125,190 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $127,615
Farm and Home Management Educators $33,260 TX statewide $33,904
Graphic Designers $65,060 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $66,320

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.

San Marcos at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 68,920 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $51,030 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 37.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other San Marcos-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near San Marcos, TX?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near San Marcos. The closest is Texas State University in San Marcos, TX (1.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Houston-Victoria (93.1 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying instructional design roles near San Marcos?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near San Marcos are: Training and Development Managers ($129,940), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($125,190), Instructional Coordinators ($78,740). 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 Kyle instead of San Marcos?

Kyle, TX is 9.5 miles from San Marcos 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 San Marcos an affordable place to study instructional design?

San Marcos’s median household income of $51,030 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Marcos 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 San Marcos

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

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.

Back to Best Instructional Design Schools in Texas (2026)