Best Instructional Design Schools Near Madison, WI (2026)

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

Madison, Wisconsin has 4 accredited schools offering instructional design programs, with tuition ranging from $35,470 to $53,315 per year for indexed programs. Madison has a population of about 275,568. Median household income is $76,983 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 59.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Madison, WI metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Education Administrators, Postsecondary at a median $133,080 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Madison

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

Whitewater, WI 37.0 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
67.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,356
Avg net price $14,158/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Milwaukee, WI 69.2 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,664
Avg net price $23,245/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Concordia University-Wisconsin

Mequon, WI 75.4 miles from Madison
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
47.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,075
Avg net price $36,201/yr
Tuition
In‑state$35,470
Out‑of‑state$35,470
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 106

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Madison

Madison is part of the Madison, WI metro area (BLS area code 31540). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Wisconsin statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $85,820 Madison, WI $88,201
Training and Development Specialists $77,500 Madison, WI $79,651
Training and Development Managers $120,300 Madison, WI $123,638
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $74,790 WI statewide $76,865
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $66,690 Madison, WI $68,541
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $133,080 Madison, WI $136,773
Farm and Home Management Educators $60,920 Madison, WI $62,610
Graphic Designers $63,970 Madison, WI $65,745

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.

Madison at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 275,568 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $76,983 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 59.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 97.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Madison-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Madison, WI?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Madison. The closest is University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Whitewater, WI (37.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Northern Illinois University (85.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Madison are: Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($133,080), Training and Development Managers ($120,300), Instructional Coordinators ($85,820). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Wisconsin statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Fitchburg instead of Madison?

Fitchburg, WI is 6.8 miles from Madison 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 Madison an affordable place to study instructional design?

Madison’s median household income of $76,983 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Madison while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Wisconsin 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 Madison

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

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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