Child Development & Psychology

Types of Degrees Child Development & Psychology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many child development and psychology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	1,686
Doctor’s Degree	726
Graduate Certificate	164

What Child Development & Psychology Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to child development were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Child Development Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in child 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.
• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.

Skills for Child Development Majors

child development majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Child Development Majors

Child Development majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

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

Below is a list of occupations associated with child development:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Investment Fund Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists	10.3%	$100,770
Psychology Professors	15.1%	$76,710
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
School Psychologists	14.2%	$76,990
Security Managers	8.0%	$107,480

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Child Development & Psychology?

The major attracts more women than men. About 80% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of child development majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	96
Black or African American	180
Hispanic or Latino	204
White	792
International Students	285
Other Races/Ethnicities	129

Geographic Diversity

Child Development appeals to people across the globe. About 16.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Canada
• India
• Hong Kong

How Much Do Child Development & Psychology Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a master’s degree in child development have a median salary of $42,397 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $37,413 (25th percentile) and $46,609 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to child development so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $85,340 to $95,610 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to child development. 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 & Psychology

Some careers associated with child development require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for child development careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.2%
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)	1.5%
Some College Courses	0.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	32.6%
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.	0.0%
Master’s Degree	22.7%
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.	7.0%
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.	0.9%
Doctoral Degree	10.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	19.4%

Online Child Development & Psychology Programs

In 2020-2021, 284 schools offered a child development program of some type. 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)	3	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	2	1
Bachelor’s Degree	19	5
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	160	9
Post-Master’s	9	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	144	3
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Child Development & Psychology Worth It?

The median salary for a child development grad is $88,490 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 122% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $971,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Child Development & Psychology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to child development.

Major	Number of Grads
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology	29,224
General Psychology	8,051
Other Psychology	2,162

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.