Instructional Design & Development
Frequently Asked Questions
Q) What are the deadlines for
admission?
A) The deadlines for admission
into the Master's in IDD are Fall - June 15th, Spring - November 1st, and
Summer - April 1st. The PhD program admits new students in the Fall
and Spring. Deadline are: Spring - November 1st and Fall - April 1st
Q) What is instructional design?
A) Good question! Instructional
design is a broad and diverse field. Instructional design combines fields
like psychology, computer science, systems theory, and management. The
short answer is that instructional design is like corporate training - working
in an organization to design, develop, implement, evaluate, and manage training
programs. The training can be traditional "stand up" instructor led
training, or technology based instruction like computer based or web based
training.
Q) What is the job market like
for an instructional designer?
A) There are A LOT of jobs in the field
of instructional design. Instructional design professionals can work
in large international corporations like Microsoft, General Motors, and IBM
or in smaller, local companies. Many instructional designers work with the
military, government organizations, k-12 schools, large hospitals, and non-profit
organizations. There are also many jobs for instructional designers at 2
and 4 year colleges - helping to develop online course, conducting training
for faculty, and working in instructional technology centers. Students graduating
with a Ph.D. will have the option of working as a professor at one of the
many Instructional Design programs around the country and throughout the
world.
Q) What are the requirements
for admission into the Ph.D. program?
A) To be admitted into the Ph.D. program,
you must submit a completed application packet to the University of South
Alabama's Graduate Admissions Office. A completed packet includes an
application form, 3 letters of reference, a statement of purpose explaining
your reasons for entering the Ph.D. program, official copies of all graduate
and undergraduate transcripts, and results of the Graduate Records Exam.
You must have a GRE score in order to be admitted into the program.
Q) What is the minimum GRE
score needed to be admitted into the Ph.D. program?
A) There is no minimum score that will
ensure admission into the Ph.D. program. The Admissions Committee doesn't
look only at the GRE score, but looks at the entire application packet when
making admissions decisions. If you have a combined score of 1000 or
less on the Verbal and Quantitative portions of the exam, you may wish to
consider taking the test again. (Although some students have been admitted
with scores lower than 1000, and some applicants with scores above 1000 have
not been admitted).
Q) Are graduate assistantships
available?
A) Yes, each semester a limited number
of graduate assistantships are available for both Master's and Ph.D. students.
If you are interested in an assistantship, contact the Department Chair,
Dr. Jack Dempsey at 251-380-2861.
Q) Can I take classes as a
non-degree student?
A) No, you must be admitted into a
graduate degree program in order to take IDD courses. In the past, it was
possible, under certain conditions, to take courses for one semester as a
non-degree student - that is no longer possible.
Q) Who should I talk to if
I have other questions?
A) Contact the Program Coordinator,
Dan Surry, at 251-380-2861 or email dsurry@usouthal.edu