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
Bachelor’s Degree	14,866
Master’s Degree	1,686
Doctor’s Degree	726
Graduate Certificate	164
Basic Certificate	43
Associate Degree	34
Undergraduate Certificate	23

What Child Development & Psychology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, child development majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

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

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a child development student include the following:

• 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?

People with a child development degree often go into the following careers:

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 Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development & Psychology?

Child Development and Psychology runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #37 out of all the undergraduate majors we track. In 2021, about 14,866 graduates completed their bachelor’s degree in this field. The major attracts more women than men. About 78% 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	2,108
Black or African American	1,027
Hispanic or Latino	2,626
White	6,924
International Students	1,057
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,124

Geographic Diversity

Child Development appeals to people across the globe. About 7.1% 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?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in child development and psychology made a median starting salary of $30,859 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $28,430 (25th percentile) and $34,215 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in child development, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Child Development majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $85,340 to $95,610 (25th to 75th percentile). 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 the 2020-2021 academic year, 284 schools offered some type of child development and psychology program. 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
General Psychology	141,695
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology	33,758
Other Psychology	2,683

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.