Master of Science in Learning, Design, and Technology

Advance your career across educational sectors

Are you ready to create great instruction for learners of all ages? Are you interested in capitalizing on emerging technologies and developing leadership skills to guide colleagues and organizations?

East Carolina University’s Master of Science (MS) in Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) prepares students to design, produce and evaluate instruction for a variety of educational settings including P–12 schools, business, higher education, health, military, and other government sectors. In addition, our well-rounded educational experience advances leadership skills. Our graduates use the latest technologies and work with content experts to design engaging and effective learning experiences that range from traditional classroom-based instruction to cutting-edge e-learning to hybrid learning environments. Further, our graduates provide leadership in organizations.

The MS-LDT program includes a core of instructional design courses that lay a foundation for future doctoral studies. In addition to the main courses, a culminating capstone experience allows the student to apply learning for leadership in an educational setting.

Get started on your learning, design and technology master’s degree

Take the next step toward earning your master’s degree in learning, design and technology. We have the resources to answer all your questions and help you get started.

Why study learning, design and technology at ECU?

A blend of theory and practice

There is a blend of theoretical, research-based principles that bolster the program along with practical application of knowledge and skills used to solve problems in design and training.

Student recognition

Media projects developed and produced by students in the program have received national awards, and students have seen their work published in internationally renowned journals.

Expert faculty support

The MS-LDT program is offered entirely online and taught by internationally recognized, award-winning faculty in instructional design, emerging technologies, distance education, and educational media production.

Professional network development

Collaborate with fellow practitioners as part of online discussions and course projects to expand your professional network.

Courses you will take in the master’s of learning, design and technology online program

Enjoy an active, hands-on learning environment and reflect on the process as part of the online master’s in learning, design and technology curriculum. The program provides a thorough foundation in the ethical design and development of instruction, and diffusion of instructional technologies, and also helps students develop skills to innovate, and to capitalize on emerging technologies. 

• Multimedia Design and Instructional Development
• Digital Literacies and Emerging Technologies
• Ethical Design in Educational Technology
• Contemporary Business and Information Technologies Education Research
• Instructional Simulations and Games

View more information and courses on Degree Explorer

What can you do with your online master’s in learning, design and technology?

Upon graduation, you’ll have a strong practical and theoretical foundation to facilitate your career in learning, design and technology. This knowledge will qualify you for vital and varied roles in education and training.

Potential Career Paths

• Master teacher
• Instructional designer in higher education, business or military
• Consultant
• Manager, administrator or leader in learning organizations

Portfolio Requirements

The Master of Science in Learning, Design, and Technology (MS-LDT) program requires an electronic portfolio to be uploaded and available for review on the web. You may use any server space that allows public or reviewer (restricted) access to your web-based portfolio. Options include, but are not limited to, ECU’s MyWeb server and Google Sites.

As you near completion of the MS-LDT program, a link to your portfolio will be showcased on a site that other students and IT program faculty have access to.

Your MS-LDT program portfolio must include the following components:

1. Career Goals
2. Resumé/Vita
3. Instructional Design and Technology Philosophy
4. Course Projects and Reflections

Career Goals

This is a brief statement (around 250 words) that explains your professional development and career goals and how the MS-LDT program fits with these goals. If you are an experienced instructional technology professional, you may want to explain why you chose to pursue a Master’s degree. If you are new to the instructional technology profession, you may want to explain the kind of job you seek. If you are not planning to work in instructional technology, you may want to explain how the MS-LDT program fits with your personal or professional development.

Resumé/Vita

This is a standard-format resumé or CV (Curriculum Vita). Generally, this includes one’s name and contact information, education and earned degrees, professional experiences, and (if applicable) special skills and non-professional experiences (e.g., volunteer teaching or team coaching). Your resumé or CV may also include a list of awards/honors, such as scholarships received and/or professional presentations and publications.

Instructional Design and Technology Philosophy

This is a brief statement (around 250 words) describing your view of instructional design and technology. This is an opportunity to demonstrate a sophisticated understanding appropriate to any individual with an advanced degree in the field.

Course Projects and Reflections

This is a collection of specific projects from courses within your Master’s program (listed below) along with a personal reflection for each project. The projects provide a showcase of the type of instructional design and technology work in which you have engaged.  The reflections are personal evaluations of the work accomplished. 

You are encouraged to review your design and development notes before writing personal reflections. Structure each reflection into three parts: Project Specification; Project Development Process; and Description of the Project’s Connection to your Professional Goals and Objectives.

Course projects and their reflection statements must be accessible to reviewers. They may be organized as a list or a table to linked files (e.g., links to PDFs) or embedded-viewable files (e.g., YouTube videos; web pages).