Do You Need a Master's Degree to Be an ID in 2026?

If you're looking to start your journey in becoming an instructional designer without enrolling in a master's program, grab the free Become an ID checklist 👉 https://www.devlinpeck.com/become-an-id-checklist Do you need a master's degree to become an instructional designer? If you're coming from another field where degrees and certifications are really important (like teaching), then you might think the answer is an obvious "yes." But the data paints a different picture. In our recent survey of 100+ instructional design hiring managers, we asked them which degree(s) they wanted their new hires to have. And while over 50% of them preferred a candidate with a master's degree, only 9% of them actually required their candidate to have a master's degree. A master's is nice-to-have, but definitely not need-to-have. Also, ironically, instructional designers that we surveyed with bachelor's degrees are earning slightly more than their peers with master's degrees. In this video, Robbie Christian dives deeper into the data and shares more insights on if pursuing a master's degree to land an ID role will provide the ROI that you're looking for. Read the full 2024 Hiring Manager Report here: https://www.devlinpeck.com/content/id-hiring-manager-report Using the affiliate links below will help support me and the content on this channel: ***Best AI Tools for Instructional Designers*** Synthesia: https://www.synthesia.io/?via=devlin WellSaid Labs: https://www.wellsaidlabs.com/?via=devlin Descript: https://www.descript.com/?lmref=jJTSTA Jasper: https://jasper.ai/?fpr=devlin44 ***Best Laptops for Instructional Designers*** Dell XPS 13: https://amz.run/6l1w 16-inch MacBook Pro: https://amz.run/6l1y Gigabyte Aero 17: https://amz.run/6l26 ***Best Books for Instructional Designers*** The Non-Designer’s Design Book: https://amzn.to/3kP0reO Map It: https://amzn.to/3f137mR eLearning and the Science of Instruction: https://amzn.to/3kNuBiF Design For How People Learn: https://amzn.to/3CLtrNM Michael Allen’s Guide to eLearning: https://amzn.to/31ZUbJB 0:00 Intro 1:27 Minimum Required Education Level 2:42 Preferred Education Level 4:42 Master's Degree ROI 6:21 Will You Earn More? 14:03 ID-Specific Degrees? 16:23 Other Options