Welcome to the Instructional and Performance Technology (IPT) department's website!

M.S. Degree in IPT, Graduate Certificate in Human Performance Technology (HPT), and Graduate Certificate in Workplace E-Learning and Performance Support (WELPS)

The  IPT department, with 20 years of history, is one of seven departments in the College of Engineering at Boise State University. It offers a Master of Science degree in IPT, a graduate certificate in HPT, and a graduate certificate in WELPS.  The master's degree program requires 36 credits, the HPT graduate certificate program requires 16 credits of coursework, and the WELPS graduate certificate program requires 15 credits of coursework. See the application procedure.

IPT Students: Full-Time vs. Part-Time

Full-time students (taking 9+ credits/semester) can complete the master's degree program within 2 years, and the graduate certificate program within a year. 

Part-time students might earn the master's degree in 3-4 years and the graduate certificate within 2 years.  See the length of IPT MS degree section. Most of IPT students are full-time working professionals, earning the degree or certificate as part-time students who typically take less than 9 credits per semester (e.g., one 4-credit required course, or one 4-credit required course and one 3-credit elective course). 

IPT Courses: On Campus and Online

IPT courses are offered both on campus and online, allowing students to earn their degree and/or certificate by taking  IPT courses on-campus courses only, online courses only, or a combination of both types.

IPT Faculty

There are 6 full-time faculty members at Boise State campus and 12+ part-time faculty members teaching courses from around the world.  Each faculty member provides a unique set of professional experience and expertise in such areas as instructional design, e-learning, adult learning, training, project management, performance support systems, performance consulting, needs assessment, organizational development, change management, organizational research and evaluation, etc.  IPT faculty are members of professional associations and societies such as International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI), American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), American Evaluation Association (AEA), and E-Learning Guild.

IPT Careers

IPT students and graduates are working in various industries including the private sector, non-profit organizations, healthcare, government agencies, and the military. While or after earning the IPT master's degree or HPT certificate, they are qualified to hold or seek jobs as senior instructional designers, curriculum developers, trainers, training managers, workforce development specialists, project managers/directors, technical writers, e-learning developers, organizational development specialists/directors, research analysts, and performance consultants.  See IPT graduates' testimonials, explaining their career advancement and job promotions largely due to earning the IPT master's degree.  A series of articles published in the Tales from the Field column in ISPI's PerformanceXpress monthly newsletters also showcase IPT students' quality coursework.

For information on courses or programs that focus on technology integration in public or private school settings or educational agencies or organizations, please see the Department of Educational Technology.