Northeastern's Graduate Certificate in Learning Experience Design and Technology (LXDT) is a robust practice-based program grounding professionals in the art and science of learning design principles and technology.

Our agile curriculum, taught by industry experts, builds expertise through experiential coursework aligned with contemporary industry competencies. Students, including learning designers, educators, trainers, technologists, and other professionals learn to create on-ground, online, and blended environments leveraging digital technologies, while developing:

• Skills to design learning environments that help learners meet academic, personal, professional, and organizational goals
• Abilities to put creative ideas into action using a variety of technologies and delivery modalities

Our students advance their careers by participating in specialized Skill Building Labs (SBLs) - focused, experiential courses addressing specific skills like Backward Design, Universal Design, Articulate 360, Project Management, and Gamification. These labs offer both elective credit and skills-based badges upon completion.

Program Objectives:

• Apply learning design models, theories, practices, and technologies, based on the analysis of context, content, and learner needs, to develop engaging learning environments.
• Demonstrate constructive working relationships and collaborations in a range of professional contexts while responding to the nuances of organizational culture, diversity of learners, project demands, and allocated resources.
• Design and redesign learning experiences to create dynamic technology-enhanced and engaging environments by seeking out the learning design potential of new technologies.
• Demonstrate the ability to effectively collect, analyze, and present ideas and data in multiple mediums and to diverse audiences.
• Create learning designs that promote social justice, inclusion, and the building of intercultural and global networks, while demonstrating the capacity to perceive multiple perspectives.
• Respond innovatively to the learning design opportunities and challenges in diverse contexts of industry sectors and modalities, while creatively drawing upon the latest research in learning design.

Unique Features:

• Build knowledge and skills through innovative course designs and formats, including badge-earning opportunities
• Learn alongside faculty experts
• Select from a variety of elective Skill Building Labs to enhance your design & technology skills
• Participate in experiential learning opportunities that provide real-world experience.

What Alumni Say

"Each course in the master's program encouraged me to connect course content and assignments to the real-life learning challenges I face in my full-time role. This marriage of theory and practice required me to assess my current thinking, integrate new theoretical constructs, and appreciate new methodologies. As a result, the learning I gained in the classroom was immediately applicable (and still is!) to the professional role I have outside of it."

"This LXDT program has greatly facilitated me in my career transition. Its’ Skill Building Labs and Experiential Network projects, in particular, provided me with many practical opportunities to put my theoretical knowledge into deliverables, making me more comfortable demonstrating my professional competencies in interviews."

"The discussion board conversations I had with my professor and colleagues helped me engage more deeply with the content, filled in gaps in my understanding, and gave me new ideas for my projects and about my interests within the field as a whole."

"This program prepared me for the current and future realities within the eLearning and instructional design fields. By using the experiential learning opportunities within my coursework, I have created high-quality projects using relevant learning theories, digital course integration, and research based instructional design practices."

Please note: Beginning fall 2026, this program will shift from a quarter-based academic calendar to a semester format. View the program conversion guide for curriculum details or visit our FAQ page for more information.

If you enter this program before fall 2026, your academic advisor will work with you to ensure a smooth transition. This change will not impact your academic progress, path to graduation, or tuition costs.