How to Become a Curriculum Developer

A curriculum developer is an education professional who prepares materials for teachers to use in their classrooms. This role sometimes goes by other titles, like curriculum designer or curriculum writer.

These specialists play an essential role in education because the changes they implement directly impact students and teachers and shape the future of the industry. They are often employed by ed tech companies, educational publishers, or textbook publishing companies, although they aren’t limited to these positions.

We spoke to Lily Jones, a curriculum developer who helps teachers start their own curriculum development career. When discussing what curriculum designers do, she said they “write content for students of all ages. This content can consist of lesson plans, unit plans, worksheets, leveled readers, passages, assessments, and more.”

Jones mentioned that curriculum developers don’t usually work for individual schools or school districts—rather, they most often get jobs with educational publishers or ed tech companies.

She also added that although curriculum developers are first and foremost curriculum writers, their responsibilities also include “editing, revising based on feedback, and aligning to standards.” Here’s a rundown of what these tasks involve.

Develop engaging curriculum content

Creating high-quality curriculum content involves a bit more than just writing. You’ll also need to take a few additional steps:

• Exploring innovative teaching strategies
• Reviewing relevant research related to teaching, learning, and curriculum development
• Consulting subject matter experts
• Defining educational goals and standards
• Exploring ways to integrate new subject knowledge into course curricula
• Designing new academic material that meets predefined goals and standards

Once you’ve written a curriculum, teachers will begin using it in the classroom. However, you usually won’t need to oversee this process or worry about training faculty on using new teaching methods, equipment, or course content.

Collect data and feedback

After you’ve developed a curriculum and it’s being used in schools, your job isn’t over. You need to next evaluate the performance of the curriculum and make any necessary modifications.

To do this, you need to get feedback. This feedback can come from educators who have used the new curriculum, but Jones says that curriculum developers will usually get feedback from editors.

“For large projects, there may be research and evaluation teams that measure the impact of curriculum on student achievement,” she added. Once you’ve gotten feedback, the final step is revising your new curriculum accordingly.

Curriculum developers and instructional designers have similar roles, and there’s often overlap between them. However, there are a few key differences between them in terms of job responsibilities and required qualifications.

Here’s a breakdown:

• Curriculum developers: Focus on the content of a curriculum and what students will learn. Their job often concerns educational content specifically for PreK-12 students and doesn’t involve much technical work.
• Instructional designers: Create new teaching methods, educational materials, and curriculum structures. The emphasis is more on how students will learn rather than on the content itself, and the target students can include adult learners. These professionals often have certain technical skills and use specialized learning management systems.

Understanding the differences between these roles will help you understand whether curriculum design is the right career path for you. If you want to develop new learning technologies or reform the education system, then you may be more interested in an instructional design career.

As you’d expect, since curriculum development specialists play such an important decision-making role, you’ll need quite a bit of experience in the field of education to qualify. Here’s a full rundown of typical requirements for curriculum developers.

Education requirements

To design educational curricula, you generally need to have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education. This isn’t a job you can do with just a high school diploma.

The focus of your bachelor’s degree should ideally be in the subject you plan to design curricula for or an education-related subject (e.g., childhood education or psychology). Getting a bachelor’s degree typically requires 4 years of study at a college or university.

Some employers also require curriculum developers to have a master’s degree, but this isn’t a strict requirement. “I don’t think you necessarily need a master’s degree,” Jones said. However, completing a graduate program in a subject like curriculum and instruction, learning design and technology, education and curriculum, instructional design, or something similar could increase your earning potential.

Licenses and certifications

In addition to a degree in education or curriculum design, you should ideally also have a teaching license. Teaching credentials and experience add to your credibility and equip you with the knowledge needed to design curricula that benefit both students and teachers.

Teaching licenses are administered by the state, and each state’s requirements are different, so make sure to do some research before enrolling in any programs. Start by looking at the US Department of Education’s directory of state education departments.

From there, you can find resources to guide you on your search. You’ll need to pass an exam (and often pay a fee) to get a teacher’s license or certificate.

Required skills

In addition to the rigorous education requirements, you’ll need to be proficient in several key areas to become a curriculum writer. Below are the foundational curriculum developer skills, knowledge, and experience you should focus on growing:

• Knowledge of curriculum development frameworks: In order to create quality curricula, you need to know what makes up a good curriculum and understand the reasons behind existing frameworks.
• Experience generating curricula: It’s beneficial to have experience teaching in a classroom, establishing learning objectives, and crafting lesson plans. This can be done via an internship or a paid teaching role.
• Computer skills: Mastery of basic computer usage and educational software programs is essential for effective curriculum development.
• Communication skills: You must be able to clearly convey complex ideas and instructions, both verbally and in writing, to teachers and administrators.
• Technical writing skills: Writing comprehensive technical documents and course materials is a big part of the job.
• Research and analysis: You need to be comfortable and confident gathering information from reliable sources, including subject matter experts, and analyzing data to expose trends and gaps.

While these skills aren’t necessarily required, they will increase your chances of being hired. In addition to these hard skills, soft skills like decision-making skills, organization skills, attention to detail, time-management skills, and creativity are all beneficial for curriculum writers.

It’s not just school districts and educational institutions that hire curriculum designers. In fact, you’ll find plenty of opportunities advertised by companies in other industries.

The following businesses and organizations all hire curriculum developers:

• Nonprofits
• Ed tech companies
• Educational publishers
• Online learning platforms
• Museums
• School districts
• Publishing houses
• Children’s media production companies

Bear in mind that curriculum development goes by many other names. Look at openings for curriculum designers, specialists, or writers.

Getting qualified as a curriculum designer takes a lot of time and hard work, but getting hired can be even more challenging. Thankfully, there are a few ways you can boost your employability and put your best foot forward when applying for curriculum development jobs.

1. Get relevant experience

Having work experience allows you to put theory into practice. If you already have a background as a teacher, then this isn’t something you need to worry too much about. But if you’ve never worked in a classroom or developed any curriculum materials of your own, then getting that practical experience is an important first step.

Many undergraduate education programs offer practicum or internship opportunities, which can be great ways to gain experience early on. Alternatively, you could spend time volunteering as a teacher within an educational program.

One career path that many curriculum developers take is working a teaching job while working contract curriculum development jobs or pursuing a master’s degree or curriculum development certification. This way, you’re gaining experience while learning.

While Jones advises that teaching experience is ideal for the role, she says you can still become a curriculum designer if you’ve never taught before—you just need to “have strong content knowledge and writing skills” to make up for your lack of teaching experience.

2. Build a portfolio and resume

Before you can apply for curriculum developer jobs, you need a portfolio and resume. Make your portfolio by gathering the curricula you’ve written, including lesson plans, activities, and assessments. This should showcase your best work, highlight any achievements, and display your skills with various curriculum frameworks.

If you don’t already have a resume, you’ll need to write one or hire someone to write it for you. If you have an existing resume, make sure to update it regularly. It’s also best practice to write a cover letter explaining your qualifications and interest in the position. Customize your resume and cover letter to each job posting, taking care to emphasize how your skills and experience fit the job description.

Jones says that for teachers, one of the most important things to do is “create a version of their resume/cover letter highlighting their curriculum experience.” Keep your teaching experience in your resume, but reframe the way you describe each role so that the emphasis is on opportunities you’ve had to practice developing curricula.

As you get your portfolio and resume in order, this is also a good time to start preparing for job interviews. Look at all you’ve accomplished so far and write down thoughtful, confident responses to questions you might be asked by potential employers.

3. Network

Networking with other professionals in your industry is an important part of any career. It’s essential to develop relationships with your peers and other educators in your workplace.

Those who are further along in their careers can give you advice, so try to learn from them at every opportunity. Your fellow curriculum developers can be a great resource as well, and chatting about your experiences can lay the groundwork for future growth opportunities.

Consider joining professional education organizations to network outside your immediate institution. Below are a few of the most prominent curriculum development organizations:

• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
• National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)
• National Education Association (NEA)

Also try attending educational conferences (all of the above associations have annual conferences) and workshops to level up your skills and stay up-to-date on industry changes.

4. Start with a freelance contract

One way to find out if you’d be a good curriculum developer and if you’d actually enjoy the job is to try it out with a short-term freelance contract. According to Jones, the most common career trajectory for curriculum developers is to start with freelance curriculum design and then either pick up more projects or transition to a full-time role.

Starting with a freelance curriculum design gig can also open up other career paths if you decide the job isn’t for you. “Curriculum developers can also become editors, product leaders, and/or executives at educational publishers and/or ed tech companies,” Jones said.

5. Keep learning and improving

Most educational professionals are lifelong learners themselves. This trait will serve you well as a curriculum developer, someone who guides learning on a large scale. It’s important to stay ahead of trends, research, technology, and best practices in the wider field of education as well as any specialties you have.

Throughout your career, seek out opportunities to continue learning and improving. You could read scholarly journals, attend conferences, or participate in other structured and unstructured professional development opportunities. But you should also grow comfortable with doing your own research and exploring new curriculum pedagogy and practices yourself.

Don’t be afraid to request feedback from your colleagues or employers to identify areas where you might be able to improve your skills or effectiveness. In education, learning never stops, so you should continually strive to develop yourself as well as your curricula.

Not just anyone can start a career as a curriculum developer. You need high-level writing skills and extensive knowledge of educational content. Jones cited this as the biggest obstacle to aspiring curriculum developers, but she also added that it’s “absolutely possible” to develop both of these skill sets.

For those who have what it takes, curriculum development can be a highly rewarding career with plenty of room for advancement. For Jones, the best parts of the job are “being able to create the types of educational experiences you hope to see in classrooms and having the flexibility to work on projects on your own schedules.”

You’ll be best suited to working as a career developer if you’re an aspiring or current teacher who has a passion for education, wants to play a role in the big picture of shaping young minds, and doesn’t mind stepping away from the classroom.

If, on the other hand, the requirements and responsibilities of the role seem a bit daunting to you or you want a more casual side gig, you’ll be better off exploring other side hustles for teachers.

Is curriculum development a good side hustle?

Because of the high barriers to entry, curriculum development is often viewed as more of a full-time career than a side hustle.

However, Jones told us this isn’t always the case. “Curriculum development is more specialized, but it can definitely be done as a side hustle,” she said. “It’s one of the most lucrative side hustles for teachers.”

How long does it take to become a curriculum developer?

You should expect to spend anywhere in the range of 6–10 years getting qualified to become a curriculum developer. This is generally how long it takes to get a higher education degree, state-mandated teaching credentials, and basic teaching experience.

One path to curriculum design might look like getting a bachelor’s degree in education, finding a teaching job, and then pursuing a master’s degree and a curriculum writing certification while continuing to teach.

Curriculum developer earning potential

The average curriculum developer’s salary is in the range of $20–$50 per hour (or $50,000–$100,000 per year). 1 The actual amount you’ll make depends on your education level, experience, and location.

Another deciding factor that’ll impact how much you earn in curriculum design is where you work. “Ed tech companies and educational publishers generally pay the most money. Pay rates are variable, but often school districts pay the least,” Jones said.

Alternatives to becoming a curriculum developer

If you decide that being a curriculum developer isn’t for you but you still want to pursue a career in education, consider these jobs:

• Education consultant: These professionals give advice and support to families, schools, or organizations that need help to improve academic performance or navigate specific challenges, such as college admissions. They are often former teachers or administrators with lots of experience.
• School principal: A principal or head teacher supervises the staff, activities, and processes of a school. They usually work for an elementary, middle, or high school. Their duties include managing curricula, overseeing teacher performance, handling the school’s budget, and advocating for their school in the community.
• Academic researcher: Academic researchers conduct experiments or studies in their area of expertise and publish their findings. They may work at universities and teach graduate classes in addition to their research.
• Training and development specialist: Similar to curriculum developers, these experts design training programs for companies to prepare new employees and keep current employees informed of changes to company policies and industry practices.
• Library media specialist: Librarians oversee a library’s resources and help people find information for research. They manage information databases, digital assets, physical books, and other materials. Many of them also plan and teach informative programs for patrons.

The field of education is wide and varied, with many employment opportunities. As a curriculum developer, you’ll help shape the future of education and provide integral reform as the world continues to change. If that sounds exciting, consider pursuing this career.