Bachelors In

Childhood Development Degrees

The complete guide on what you’ll learn, job prospects, university programs, and saving time and money.

Why We Love It

  • $53,520
    Potential Avg. Salary*
  • Growing Demand
    Job Outlook

* Salary & growth data is based on the recent Bureau of Labor and Statistics data published at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211013.htm for 21-1013 Marriage and family therapists 11/2021. Based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary.

If you’re interested in understanding how family dynamics, cultural beliefs, and environmental factors impact human development, a bachelor of science in child development may be right for you.

In a human development program, you’ll study life from many angles—anatomical, psychological, cultural, and sociological—preparing you for careers in counseling, medicine, or social work.

What is a Degree in Childhood Development?

What are the different stages and behaviors children experience as they grow from infants to adults? How do marriage and family dynamics impact the beliefs, tendencies, and behaviors of individuals throughout their lifetime?

If you’re curious about the answers to these questions, you may want to consider majoring in human development and family studies in college. This degree program provides an interdisciplinary approach to understanding life from many perspectives—from physiology to psychology.

Family studies students study development from a variety of angles. They take life science courses that enable them to understand the anatomy, biology, and physiology of human life, as well as social science courses that enable them to understand how social, political, ethnic, cultural, and gender issues affect and form beliefs and behaviors throughout lifetimes.

Graduates go on to work in a variety of careers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, working as social workers, counselors, and family advocates.

Recommended Schools

What Courses Would I Take For a Major in Childhood Development?

  • Human Development & Family Studies Interventions
  • Empirical Inquiry in Human Development
  • Family Development
  • Resolving Family Problems
  • Family Relationships
  • Development of Human Services Programs
  • Infant and Child Development
  • Adult Development and Aging

What Jobs Can You Get with a Degree in Childhood Development?

In recent years, mental health has become more and more recognized as something that’s just as important to growth and development as physical health, so many health insurance companies have started providing better coverage for mental health care.

This has increased demand for individuals with human development and family studies expertise to work in counseling, therapy, social work, and advocacy roles. For this reason, graduates of human development degree programs should have a bright future.

How Long does it take?

A bachelors in Childhood Development will have a typical length of 4 years in a full time schedule. That said, there are many ways to speed up the timeframe by either taking more units via online coursework, community college, or taking free classes at OnlineDegree.com that could transfer to universities in the US.

Recommended Schools


Best Jobs for Childhood Development Degrees

Graduates of human development and family studies degrees move on to work in many different careers. Some focus on counseling or social work, and some earn teaching credentials to work with children in schools.

Others pursue graduate degrees to become pediatricians, therapists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers. Some also work for nonprofits in women and family support organizations.


How to save time and money

Our mission is to help you to avoid paying full price for college. We want your Childhood Development degree to be affordable and accessible. Here’s how you could save:

Create Your Free SmartPlan

There are many ways to make college affordable and accessible.

That’s why we created a helpful tool called SmartPlan.

It’s free, and helps you find potential ways to save and tons of information about each school you’re considering

Think of it as your “college blueprint”, to help you instantly craft a path to your degree:

  • Which Colleges Match Your Needs
  • Ways You Could Save Time & Money
  • Free Courses You Could Take for Credit
  • Valuable Data and Insights on Each College
  • Detailed Steps You Should Take!

See what’s possible for you and generate a free plan within just a few minutes

Create My SmartPlan

You Might also be Interested in

Many visitors who look for a degree in Childhood Development are also interested in the following degrees.

Start Towards Your Childhood Development Degree, Free.

Generate your free SmartPlan™ to identify schools you like, and potential ways to save on your degree or certification program with courses, offers, and much more!

Get Started