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Child Development & Family Studies

Types of Degrees Child Development & Family Studies Majors Are Earning

People majoring in 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

Coursework for Child Development & Family Studies develop 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

According to O*NET, a major 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	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Social computing tools	Web page creation and editing 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
• Lecturer
• Weaving Professor
• Food and Nutrition Professor
• Family Consumer Science Teacher (FCS Teacher)
• Textiles and Clothing Teacher
• Adjunct Professor
• Chef Instructor
• Human Development Professor
• Nutrition Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Clothing and Textiles Teacher
• Tailoring Teacher
• Cooking Teacher

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?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Child Development & Family Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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

Distance learning 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	CIP Code
Family Consumer Human Sciences	19
Apparel and Textiles	19.09
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies	19.04
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	19.02
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General	19.01
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, Other	19.99
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services	19.05
Housing and Human Environments	19.06
Work and Family Studies	19.00
Work and Family Studies	19.10

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.