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2023 Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools

219 Colleges
$28,862 Avg Salary
$22,387 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Human Development & Family Studies School for You

Human Development & Family Studies is the #46 most popular major in the country with 42,112 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools ranking. This report analyzed 219 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the United States

Check out the human development programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 25 Top Schools in Child Development & Family Studies

#1

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY

Our analysis found Cornell University to be the best school for human development and family studies students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.

While working on their degree, human development majors at Cornell accumulate an average of around $14,768 in student debt.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Cornell University

#2

Pacific Oaks College

Pasadena, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Pacific Oaks College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools list. Pacific Oaks College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena.

Human Development majors at Pacific Oaks College take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Human Development & Family Studies at Pacific Oaks College Report

Out of the 219 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Warner Pacific College Adult Degree Program landed the # 3 spot on the list. Warner Pacific College ADP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Portland.

On average, human development graduates from Warner Pacific College ADP take out $38,539 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#4

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Out of the 219 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Hennepin Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Hennepin Technical College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.

Full Human Development & Family Studies at Hennepin Technical College Report

#5

Tufts University

Medford, MA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Tufts University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools list. Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, human development majors at Tufts accumulate an average of around $15,500 in student debt.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Tufts University

With a ranking of #6, University of Delaware did quite well on this year’s best schools for human development and family studies students. UD is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Newark.

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California State University - East Bay ranked #7 on this year’s Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools list. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a large student population.

On average, human development graduates from Cal State East Bay take out $14,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best human development and family studies programs. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

On average, human development graduates from North Dakota State University take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

With a ranking of #9, Hope International University did quite well on this year’s best schools for human development and family studies students. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Hope is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that human development majors at Hope take out is $30,238.

Full Human Development & Family Studies at Hope International University Report

#10

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ

Montclair State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best human development and family studies programs. Montclair State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Montclair.

The average amount in student loans that human development majors at Montclair State take out is $25,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $265.

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#11

Erikson Institute

Chicago, IL

Erikson Institute came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, The Erikson Institute is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Human Development & Family Studies at Erikson Institute Report

#12

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Clemson University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best human development and family studies programs. Clemson is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Clemson.

Full Human Development & Family Studies at Clemson University Report

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools ranking. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

After completing their degree, human development graduates from UIUC carry an average student debtload of $17,850. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $434.

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Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best human development and family studies programs. OSU is a fairly large public school located in the town of Stillwater.

While working on their degree, human development majors at OSU accumulate an average of around $25,250 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $315, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

#15

Howard University

Washington, DC

Howard University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best human development and family studies programs. Located in the city of Washington, Howard is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#16

Cabrillo College

Aptos, CA

Cabrillo College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools ranking. Cabrillo College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Aptos.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Cabrillo College

#17

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

With a ranking of #17, Michigan State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for human development and family studies students. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, human development graduates from Michigan State take out $30,750 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $360, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Michigan State University

The University of Texas at Austin came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools ranking. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

The average amount in student loans that human development majors at UT Austin take out is $21,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $239.

Full Human Development & Family Studies at The University of Texas at Austin Report

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best human development and family studies programs. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a very large student population.

On average, human development graduates from UMCP take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $214, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at University of Maryland - College Park

#20

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, CA

With a ranking of #20, Loma Linda University did quite well on this year’s best schools for human development and family studies students. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Loma Linda.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at Loma Linda University

Washington State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for human development and family studies students. It came in at #21 on the list. Wazzu is a fairly large public school located in the town of Pullman.

The average amount in student loans that human development majors at Wazzu take out is $23,800. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $353, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for human development and family studies students. It came in at #22 on the list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.

While working on their degree, human development majors at UW - Madison accumulate an average of around $22,875 in student debt.

Read full report on Human Development & Family Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#23

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

With a ranking of #23, Virginia Tech did quite well on this year’s best schools for human development and family studies students. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that human development majors at Virginia Tech take out is $21,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $331.

Full Human Development & Family Studies at Virginia Tech Report

Seattle Pacific University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools list. SPU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Seattle.

Read More…

#25

Arapahoe Community College

Littleton, CO

Arapahoe Community College landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best human development and family studies programs. Arapahoe Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Littleton.

While working on their degree, human development majors at Arapahoe Community College accumulate an average of around $18,731 in student debt.

Full Human Development & Family Studies at Arapahoe Community College Report

Rest of the Top Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools

#26

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, MI
#27

Union Institute & University

Cincinnati, OH
#28

University of Georgia

Athens, GA
#30

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools award.

Rank College Location
33 Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies Fayette, MO
34 Concordia University, Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
35 Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA
36 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
37 Warner Pacific University Portland, OR
38 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
39 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
40 Stevenson University Stevenson, MD
41 Harcum College Bryn Mawr, PA
42 Southern Crescent Technical College Griffin, GA
43 CET, San Jose San Jose, CA

Human Development & Family Studies by Region

View the Best Child Development & Family Studies Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 7 majors within the area of study, human development and family studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Human Development

Related Major Annual Graduates
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 4,858
Textile & Apparel Studies 3,313
General Family & Consumer Sciences 2,906
Family & Consumer Economics 1,454
Human Sciences Business Services 704

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jsonin.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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