What Jobs are in Curriculum Design?

Anyone who wants a rewarding career in a growing field should be looking at jobs in curriculum design. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be up to two million jobs created for teachers through the year 2024. Most of the curriculum design jobs in public schools and colleges will require a specialized master’s degree from an accredited university.

Education Consultant

Education consultants work with teachers to help them better teach individuals and groups in classrooms. For example, they may help teachers incorporate new technology into lessons, Common Core standards into content and new performance metrics into outdated student outcomes. Education consultants help teachers to independently plan, execute and evaluate lessons that increase student achievement and engagement. They work with school leaders to drive the strategic and visionary use of new methods, innovative technology and instructional practice research. Education consultants must measure the effectiveness of their work in order to establish their authority, justify their recommendations and increase their accountability. Most education consultants will have a minimum of four to five years of full-time teaching experience in urban, public or private schools.

Curriculum Developer

Curriculum developers provide expert advice to schools and staff regarding the best practices for improving content quality and models to conducting effective training programs. They collaborate with subject matter leads and content experts to ensure that materials comply with student learning principles and Department of Education guidelines. Thus, they create clear learning objections, revise course content and evaluate curriculum performance through assessments. Curriculum developers conduct research through literature reviews, expert consults and subject matter inquiries. They may reach out to private, public and non-profit professional education organizations to solicit and incorporate the most up-to-date facts and relevant information into content and programs. Curriculum developers may train teachers how to brainstorm, analyze needs and develop creative solutions through workshops and training seminars.

Director of Instruction

Directors of instruction contribute to the development of the new learning, technology and student outcomes. They may work for a charter school, community college or technical trade institution. They will establish and expand the vision and mission of their organization. Instruction directors may conceive online campaigns, classroom designs, academic opportunities or program expansions. Either way, they will prepare promotional materials, solicit feedback from teachers and drive the implementation of new methods and experiments. Directors of instruction who work for higher learning organizations may collaborate with departmental deans, learning assessment administrators and faculty development committees. They will foster campus cultures that encourage honest conversation, inventive teaching, cross-cultural learning and experimental atmospheres. They may sustain and coordinate teacher focused professional development opportunities like day workshops, guest speakers and off-site seminars.

Related Resource: What is a Master of Education in Learning Design and Technology?

The jobs in curriculum design include academic development specialists, who design programming to facilitate program changes and teacher transitions, as well as teacher coaches, who provide individual mentoring in course design, assignment creation and classroom management. Education administrators who deal with curriculum may provide content expertise and academic advice for syllabus, activity, evaluation and assignment designs.