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Child development

Types of Degrees Child development Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Child development have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	327
Associate’s Degree	821
Bachelor’s Degree	1,715
Master’s Degree	1,665
Doctor’s Degree	7

What Child development Majors Need to Know

Programs in Child development develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Child development graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Child development emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Child development program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Child development careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Child development graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.7 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	3.6 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Child development 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	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Schoology	Computer based training software	—
Google Classroom	Project management software	—
Tadpoles	Desktop communications software	—
Seesaw	Multi-media educational software	—
Kahoot!	Multi-media educational software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Child development graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Teacher
• Daycare Teacher
• Infant Teacher
• Toddler Teacher
• Professor
• Food and Nutrition Professor
• Cooking Teacher
• Home Economics Teacher
• Chef Instructor
• Lecturer
• College Faculty Member
• University Faculty Member
• Human Development Professor
• Assistant Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	26.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	15.9%
Bachelor’s degree	13.5%
Doctoral degree	12.6%
Some college courses	7.4%
Post-doctoral training	6.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.0%
Postsecondary certificate	5.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.0%
Less than a high school diploma	2.1%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Child development?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 97.3% of Child development degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,477	97.3%
Men	122	2.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,083	45.3%
Asian	106	2.3%
Hispanic or Latino	1,190	25.9%
Black or African American	789	17.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	73	1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.1%
Two or More Races	151	3.3%
Race Unknown	127	2.8%
International Students	75	1.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Child development Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Child development 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 Child development Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Child development. 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	29	10
Bachelor’s	12	10
Master’s	4	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 Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Child development 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
Adult Development and Aging	19.0702
Child Care and Support Services Management	19.0708
Child Care Provider/Assistant	19.0709
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 Textiles, General	19.0901

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.