2023 Best Child Development & Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Child Development & Psychology Doctor's Degree School for You
With 4,035 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, child development and psychology is the #32 most popular major in California.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Child Development & Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in California to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Child Development & Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for child development majors pursuing a doctor's degree.
Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Child Development & Psychology
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for child development and psychology students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in California. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Child Development & Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
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Out of the 8 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - San Diego is a great place for child development and psychology students working on their doctor’s degree. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.
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The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of California - Santa Barbara helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best child development and psychology schools in California. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Santa Barbara Report
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University of California - Irvine landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree child development and psychology programs. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at University of California - Irvine
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California Institute of Integral Studies ranked #7 on this year’s Best Child Development & Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, CIIS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Child Development & Psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies Report
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University of California - Riverside landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree child development and psychology programs. Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Request InformationBest Child Development & Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Child Development & Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 672 |
| Oregon | 5 |
| Nevada | 52 |
More Child Development & Psychology Rankings in California
Rankings in Majors Related to Child Development
One of 3 majors within the area of study, child development and psychology has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Child Development
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Psychology | 141,695 |
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 33,758 |
| Other Psychology | 2,683 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 8 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.