Working in curriculum design can be the best of both worlds: it provides a rewarding, hands-on opportunity to direct the course of education, while enabling you to avoid many of the constraints and frustrations that often come with classroom teaching. The field of curriculum design, sometimes called instructional design, is undergoing tremendous growth and transformation, thanks to rapid development of instructional technology and online education, as well as a commitment at all levels to educational reform. Tasks may include pouring over textbooks, conducting focus groups or developing questionnaires for administrators, and conducting training programs for educators. Those working in curriculum design should be knowledgeable about curriculum options, but also have experience in education, in order to make informed decisions that affect classrooms; be passionate about their work and their subject areas, have excellent organizational and communications skills, and be knowledgeable about educating diverse populations.
Curriculum Design Online Colleges
Because practitioners must understand how curriculum offerings are actually implemented in the classroom in their specific subject areas, it can be very difficult to obtain a position without a master's degree and teaching certificate. Certification as an education administrator is occasionally a requirement as well. Prior teaching or administrative experience is preferential. There are several curriculum design degrees that might lead to this field. Some of the available online curriculum design degrees include a Master's of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, which deals with theory and practice of instructional design in K-12, and the Master's of Education in Instructional Technology, providing in-depth technological training to prepare you for a career in curriculum design, or online course or training program development. An alternative route could be to work toward a Master's of Education in Assessment and Measurement, which prepares graduates to develop testing and learning schemes to help improve education. You can also find a number of doctoral programs in curriculum design. These include the Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction as well as the Doctor of Education in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment K-12.
Curriculum design programs can lead to instructional coordinator or designer, or curriculum specialist positions, which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, were projected to grow at a much-faster-than-average rate of 23 percent during the 2008-2018 decade. Increases in lifelong learning, at schools and in the workplace, as well as increases in online education programs, are driving much of this job growth, along with a growing emphasis on educational quality and accountability. Jobs could be more plentiful for those in reading, math and science, and those interested in technology training for teachers. In May 2010, the mean earned wages for instructional coordinators were $61,270. Others who complete curriculum design programs could seek work in education administration, where mean earned annual wages were $86,970 at the elementary and secondary level in 2010. Other positions that could be of interest to those in the field are jobs in educational administration, human resources, and teaching.