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Child Development & Psychology

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 42.2701 - 42.2799.

Types of Degrees Child Development & Psychology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Child Development & Psychology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	11
Associate’s Degree	31
Bachelor’s Degree	19,130
Master’s Degree	2,658
Doctor’s Degree	970

What Child Development & Psychology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Child Development & Psychology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Child Development & Psychology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

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

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Child Development & Psychology graduates include:

• Teacher
• Instructor
• Professor
• College Professor
• Faculty Member
• University Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• Assistant Professor
• Psychology Professor
• Educational Psychology Teacher
• Industrial Psychology Teacher
• Abnormal Psychology Teacher

What Can You Do With a Child Development & Psychology Degree?

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

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	1.0%	$41,658	$32,345–$50,970

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	33.8%
Post-doctoral training	21.9%
Doctoral degree	16.9%
Master’s degree	11.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%
Some college courses	2.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Child Development & Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 78.1% of Child Development & Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	17,816	78.1%
Men	4,997	21.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	10,778	47.2%
Asian	2,973	13.0%
Hispanic or Latino	3,779	16.6%
Black or African American	1,534	6.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	85	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	36	0.2%
Two or More Races	1,250	5.5%
Race Unknown	413	1.8%
International Students	1,965	8.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Child Development & Psychology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Child Development & Psychology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$34,814
4 years	$50,900
5 years	$59,985

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,985 — roughly 72% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Child Development & Psychology Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Child Development & Psychology. 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	1	0
Bachelor’s	5	13
Master’s	14	7
Doctoral (Research)	3	2

^{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 & Psychology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Child Development & Psychology graduates earn a median of $50,900 four years after completion — roughly 34% 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
Psychology	213,668
Psychology, General	147,078
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology	40,952
Psychology, Other	2,825
Clinical Psychology	—
Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics	—
Community Psychology	—
Counseling Psychology	—
Developmental and Child Psychology	—
Educational Psychology	—
Health Psychology	—
Physiological Psychology/Psychobiology	—

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.