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Child Development & Family Studies

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 19.0701 - 19.0799.

Types of Degrees Child Development & Family Studies Majors Are Earning

Those studying Child Development & Family Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3,777
Associate’s Degree	8,199
Bachelor’s Degree	10,050
Master’s Degree	19,778
Doctor’s Degree	155

What Child Development & Family Studies Majors Need to Know

Studies in Child Development & Family Studies emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Child Development & Family Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Child Development & Family Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Child Development & Family Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Child Development & Family Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Child Development & Family Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.7 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Child Development & Family Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Kahoot!	Multi-media educational software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Child Development & Family Studies graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Lecturer
• Home and Family Living Professor
• Dietetics Professor
• Sewing Teacher
• Clothing and Textiles Teacher
• Nutrition Faculty Member
• Child Development Instructor
• Family Resource Management Professor
• Professor
• Home Economics Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Instructor

What Can You Do With a Child Development & Family Studies Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Child Development & Family Studies commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Farm and Home Management Educators	14.0%	$55,950	$47,136–$64,765
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	6.4%	$63,776	$50,229–$77,324
Teaching Assistants, Special Education	9.5%	$96,801	$75,024–$118,577
Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education	9.8%	$89,337	$72,651–$106,022
Social and Human Service Assistants	9.5%	$69,957	$55,295–$84,619
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other	13.1%	$75,358	$58,637–$92,080

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Child Development & Family Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	36.2%
Doctoral degree	18.3%
Bachelor’s degree	10.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	9.8%
Post-doctoral training	5.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.7%
Some college courses	4.2%
Postsecondary certificate	4.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.8%
Less than a high school diploma	2.3%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Child Development & Family Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 95.2% of Child Development & Family Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	40,732	95.2%
Men	2,068	4.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Child Development & Family Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	17,349	40.5%
Asian	2,137	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	13,895	32.5%
Black or African American	6,135	14.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	341	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	95	0.2%
Two or More Races	1,309	3.1%
Race Unknown	1,077	2.5%
International Students	462	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Child Development & Family Studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Child Development & Family Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$33,243
4 years	$38,875
5 years	$44,531

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,531 — roughly 34% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Child Development & Family Studies Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Child Development & Family Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	90	59
Bachelor’s	54	39
Master’s	34	14
Doctoral (Research)	3	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Child Development & Family Studies Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Child Development & Family Studies graduates earn a median of $38,875 four years after completion — roughly 2% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Family Consumer Human Sciences	53,684
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services	3,867
Apparel and Textiles	2,711
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General	2,227
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies	1,166
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	493
Housing and Human Environments	255
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, Other	156
Work and Family Studies	9
Work and Family Studies	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.