Child Development & Family Studies
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Types of Degrees Child Development & Family Studies Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many human development and family studies graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 1,281 |
Graduate Certificate | 179 |
Doctor’s Degree | 129 |
What Child Development & Family Studies Majors Need to Know
In an O*NET survey, human development majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.
Knowledge Areas for Human Development Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in human development should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Skills for Human Development Majors
The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to human development:
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Abilities for Human Development Majors
A major in human development will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
What Can You Do With a Child Development & Family Studies Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with human development:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Community and Social Service Specialists | 13.2% | $42,620 |
Farm and Home Management Advisors | 7.7% | $49,840 |
Home Economics Professors | 8.6% | $71,380 |
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | 10.5% | $29,780 |
Social and Human Service Assistants | 16.4% | $33,750 |
Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Child Development & Family Studies?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of human development majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 42 |
Black or African American | 175 |
Hispanic or Latino | 160 |
White | 772 |
International Students | 49 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 83 |
Geographic Diversity
Human Development appeals to people across the globe. About 3.8% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- China
- South Korea
- Canada
- Japan
- Saudi Arabia
How Much Do Child Development & Family Studies Majors Make?
Master’s Degree Starting Salary
The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in human development was $42,470 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $39,811 (25th percentile) and $44,384 (75th percentile).
We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to human development so take that into consideration.
Salaries According to BLS
Human Development majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $34,410 to $52,700 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Child Development & Family Studies
Some careers associated with human development require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to human development have obtained the following education levels.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 5.6% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 25.4% |
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 4.1% |
Some College Courses | 6.8% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 11.0% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 14.1% |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 3.1% |
Master’s Degree | 18.5% |
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. | 2.9% |
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. | 0.1% |
Doctoral Degree | 9.1% |
Post-Doctoral Training | 0.1% |
Online Child Development & Family Studies Programs
In the 2020-2021 academic year, 1,058 schools offered some type of human development and family studies program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 458 | 42 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 16 | 1 |
Associate’s Degree | 608 | 77 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 52 | 11 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 131 | 30 |
Post-Master’s | 6 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 40 | 1 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Child Development & Family Studies Worth It?
The median salary for a human development grad is $35,830 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
Top Ranking Lists for Child Development & Family Studies
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Majors Related to Child Development & Family Studies
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to human development.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Food, Nutrition & Related Services | 1,214 |
General Family & Consumer Sciences | 368 |
Family & Consumer Economics | 251 |
Textile & Apparel Studies | 150 |
Human Sciences Business Services | 58 |
Housing | 54 |
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences (Other) | 8 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
- Image Credit: By Jsonin under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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