Human Development and Family Studies

Types of Degrees Human Development and Family Studies Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general human development & family studies graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	580
Doctor’s Degree	119
Graduate Certificate	31

What Human Development and Family Studies Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, human development and family studies 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 and Family Studies Majors

Human Development and Family Studies majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Human Development and Family Studies Majors

When studying human development and family studies, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Abilities for Human Development and Family Studies Majors

A major in human development and family studies will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Human Development and Family Studies Major?

People with a human development and family studies degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Home Economics Professors	8.6%	$71,380

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Human Development and Family Studies?

This major is dominated by women with about 93% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of human development and family studies majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	16
Black or African American	73
Hispanic or Latino	80
White	354
International Students	25
Other Races/Ethnicities	32

Geographic Diversity

Human Development and Family Studies appeals to people across the globe. About 4.3% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Human Development and Family Studies

Some degrees associated with human development and family studies may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to human development and family studies have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
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)	1.9%
Some College Courses	1.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	3.7%
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.	7.9%
Master’s Degree	36.5%
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.	0.3%
Doctoral Degree	48.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.8%

Online Human Development and Family Studies Programs

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)	7	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	26	5
Bachelor’s Degree	11	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	65	9
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	27	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Human Development and Family Studies

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to human development and family studies.

Major	Number of Grads
Child Care Provider/Assistant	21,140
Child Development	4,356
Child Care & Support Services Management	3,670
Family & Community Services	1,129
Other Human Development, Family Studies, & Related Services	540
Family Systems	432
Early Childhood and Family Studies	332
Adult Development & Aging	265
Developmental Services Worker	67
Parent Education Services	11

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.