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Adult Development & Aging

Types of Degrees Adult Development & Aging Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Adult Development & Aging may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	5
Associate’s Degree	49
Bachelor’s Degree	17
Master’s Degree	166
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Adult Development & Aging Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Adult Development & Aging program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Adult Development & Aging careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Adult Development & Aging graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Adult Development & Aging professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Adult Development & Aging graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Human Development Professor
• Weaving Professor
• Family Resource Management Professor
• College Professor
• Chef Instructor
• Dietetics Professor
• Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Family Consumer Science Teacher (FCS Teacher)
• Professor
• Cooking Teacher
• Nutrition Instructor
• Tailoring Teacher
• Clothing and Textiles Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	38.8%
Master’s degree	28.6%
Post-doctoral training	20.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.9%
Bachelor’s degree	4.1%
Postsecondary certificate	1.4%
Some college courses	0.7%
First professional degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Adult Development & Aging?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 86.6% of Adult Development & Aging degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	206	86.6%
Men	32	13.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	106	44.5%
Asian	7	2.9%
Hispanic or Latino	61	25.6%
Black or African American	41	17.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	6	2.5%
Race Unknown	11	4.6%
International Students	5	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Adult Development & Aging Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Adult Development & Aging 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 Adult Development & Aging Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Adult Development & Aging. 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	3	3
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	5	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 Adult Development & Aging Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Adult Development & Aging 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
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	19.07
Child Care and Support Services Management	19.0708
Child Care Provider/Assistant	19.0709
Child Development	19.0706
Developmental Services Worker	19.0710
Early Childhood and Family Studies	19.0711
Family and Community Services	19.0707
Family Systems	19.0704
Human Development and Family Studies, General	19.0701
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, Other	19.0799
Parent Education Services	19.0712
Apparel and Textile Manufacture	19.0902

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.