What kind of Child Development degree should you get?
Depending on whether you want to teach or pursue a different career with young children, you'll have to choose between a Master's in Child Development specifically or a Master's in Early Childhood Education (which covers child development with an eye to learning in the classroom).
You may also be trying to decide between a campus-based program and an online one. While both modes of delivery offer distinct advantages, if convenience or flexibility are two of your top priorities you might want to look closely at online options. Online degree programs are both convenient and equally as rigorous as their campus-based counterparts—and they are often more affordable as well.
If you're interested, check out our ranking of the Best Online Master's in Child Development Degrees.
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How much money do people make with a Child Development Master's degree?
There are a lot of different career possibilities with a graduate degree in Child Development. And that means a broad range in salary possibilities. A rule of thumb in education though, is that a master's degree is a major asset when it comes to your pay ceiling. Here are a few numbers (as cited by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) for guidelines:
Preschool and Childcare Center Director: $45,790 (median)
Elementary School Teachers: $55,490 (median)
Special Education Teacher (Kinder and Elementary School): up to $90,260
What can you do with a Master's degree in Child Development ?
A master's degree in Child Development opens the doors to many different careers. Whether you're interested in education, advocacy, administration, counseling, or program development—you'll probably find a job that fits you. Child development specialists work in the public and private spheres and at all levels of leadership and influence. A few other jobs you might land in include:
Special Education Teachers
Parent Educator
Early Childhood Education Consultant
Social Worker
Preschool Director
Child Life Specialist
What are the requirements for a degree in Child Development ?
Most master's degrees in Child Development are building on a foundation of knowledge gained in an undergraduate program—usually in education, child development, or a closely related discipline like social work or counselling. If you're lacking the right academic background, though—dont worry! Many schools offer prerequisite courses to bring you up to speed on the essentials. You will probably also need to provide GRE scores.
What are the best Master's in Child Development?
At College Choice we look at a variety of essential factors to rank programs according to both academic excellence and return on investment. First we ensure that all schools on our rankings are regionally accredited—this guarantees that your credits will be recognized by employers and other institutions. Many programs have further accreditations as well—from agencies like the NCATE, CAEP, or NAEYC.
We then compile data from program websites as well as publicly available sources like the National Center for Education Statistics, Payscale, and U.S. News and World Report—in addition to other niche rankings. We believe our score will give you a good idea of the quality of program you will encounter as a student.
We hope this ranking helps you find a great Child Development program!
Rankings
See our rankings methodology page.
