Salaries for Learning and Development Industry
Career opportunities
The Master of Arts in leadership for organizational learning and performance program provides graduate preparation for persons seeking employment in a variety of roles including:
- Human resources professionals
- Performance consultant
- Learning facilitator
- Organizational change agent
- Staff developer
Career opportunities exist in business, government, education, healthcare and nonprofit settings. This program prepares leading-edge practitioners to provide effective direction through leadership and consulting roles, to assure that organizational learning and performance functions contribute to worthwhile organizational results. Graduates will also demonstrate a commitment to supporting a climate of diversity and inclusion in the workforce.
Salaries for organizational learning and performance graduates
The learning and development profession provides for a progression in responsibility and pay from entry-level specialist to manager, director and the executive level. Salaries have remained stable through rough economic times. Demand for learning and development professionals remains strong, in part driven by the rapid pace of change in all organization types and industries. These are positive signs that contribute to a bright outlook for the field in the years to come.
Learning and development salary ranges are provided by the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology at Western Michigan University for their students.
| Learning and development roles | Annual salary range |
|---|---|
| Chief learning officer | $128,749 to $187,441 |
| Instructional designer | $51,340 to $75,867 |
| Management development manager | $91,691 to $128,537 |
| Organization development consultant | $68,055 to $94,684 |
| Sales trainer | $60,467 to $78,499 |
| Senior trainer | $60,438 to $78,499 |
| Technical trainer | $53,165 to $71,152 |
| Training director | $107,393 to $146,880 |
| Training manager | $76,495 to $100,383 |
| Training specialist entry level | $40,0783-52,770 |
Salary ranges are also influenced by experience, performance, tenure and industry. Location also plays a role. Large metro areas in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and West provide higher than average pay, while those in the Midwest and South are more likely to offer average or below average pay.
Source: 2012 Association for Talent Development salary whitepaper for the learning and development industry using data covering more than 29 million individuals working at more than 16,000 United States companies.