MS in Instructional Design and Technology: Recommended Professional Certificates
MS in Instructional Design and Technology: Recommended Professional Certificates
By adding these credentials to their degree, MS IDT students can demonstrate proficiency in current industry tools, complement their academic knowledge, and build job-ready skills employers are looking for.
Instructional Design & Learning Experience
(Target Careers: Instructional Designer, Learning Experience Designer, UX Designer for Learning Tech, E-Learning Developer)
These certificates teach core User Experience principles that can help students design intuitive and accessible learning interfaces and educational platforms.
Instructional Designers are often expected to be their own multimedia specialists. These certificates provide the visual design skills needed to create professional-looking e-learning modules, training decks, and infographics.
Project Management & Leadership
(Target Careers: L&D Manager, K-12 School District Curriculum/Instructional Technology Director, Academic Program Manager, Corporate Trainer / L&D Specialist, Educational Technology Specialist, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Digital Learning Consultant)
This certificate teaches foundational project management skills and strategies to manage scope of instructional design projects, coordinate with Subject Matter Experts, and ensure that complex training initiatives are delivered on time and within budget.
For students aiming for leadership roles or would like to build on foundational project management skills, this certificate moves beyond individual projects to organizational strategy. It teaches how to align training programs with broader business goals and manage resources across multiple departments.
Data-Centered Design & Evaluation
(Target Careers: Human Performance Consultant, Educational Technology Specialist, L&D Specialist, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Digital Learning Consultant)
This certificate equips students with the skills to measure learning outcomes and evaluate program effectiveness. It teaches the analysis skills helpful for students in assessing the impact of programs and proving ROI using data.
L&D leaders often need to present training metrics to stakeholders. These certificates teach students how to visualize learner data and performance gaps in clear, actionable dashboards that administration and C-suite executives can easily understand. Power BI and Tableau are some of the most common industry-standard tools for data visualization.
Technical Development & E-Learning
(Target Careers: E-Learning Developer, Gamification Designer)
This certificate teaches how students can use HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript to build websites and applications. Learning these skills can help give students a competitive advantage by teaching them how they can create custom web-based training programs.
Corporate Training & Development
(Target Careers: Corporate Trainer, Career Coach, Human Performance Consultant)
This certificate could offer some transferable skills for students as it covers coaching, conducting needs assessments, and supporting individual professional development plans.