If you plan on majoring in child development & psychology, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #57 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 139 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Child Development & Psychology Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 19,646 degrees in child development & psychology to qualified students.
Choosing a Great Child Development & Psychology School
Your choice of child development & psychology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for child development & psychology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Child Development & Psychology Degree Level
The child development school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Child Development & Psychology Schools.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Best Schools for Child Development & Psychology in the United States
The schools below may not offer all types of child development degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Columbia University in the City of New York is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in child development & psychology. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were approximately 186 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Those child development & psychology students who get their degree from Columbia University in the City of New York make $14,424 more than the standard child development student.
It is hard to beat University of California - Irvine if you want to pursue a degree in child development & psychology. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 624 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, child development degree recipients typically earn around $29,830 in their early careers.
BA in Psychology - Child & Adolescent DevelopmentProgram Name
Gain practical experience working with children in a variety of settings with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
It is difficult to beat New York University if you wish to pursue a degree in child development & psychology. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 882 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the child development program state that they receive average early career income of $40,540.
It is difficult to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you want to pursue a degree in child development & psychology. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were approximately 773 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the child development program earn about $31,872 in their early career salary.
UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the large city of Seattle. This university ranks 1st out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.
There were roughly 581 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, child development degree recipients usually earn an average of $34,715 in their early careers.
Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were approximately 154 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the child development program report average early career wages of $39,359.
UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.
There were roughly 146 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the child development & psychology major at University of Pennsylvania make $5,810 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
MS in Psychology - Child & Adolescent Development PsychologyProgram Name
Learn assessment, intervention and consultation strategies that address the unique individual, cultural and psychological needs of children and families with this specialized online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Located in the small city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Boston College is a great college overall.
There were roughly 14 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Boston College in the most recent data year.
UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. This university ranks 7th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 634 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the child development program earn about $34,431 for their early career.
University of Rochester is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Rochester. This university ranks 8th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 185 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at University of Rochester in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, child development degree recipients generally make around $39,732 in their early careers.
Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame. This university ranks 1st out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There were about 24 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available.
Pitt is a very large public university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. This university ranks 6th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.
There were approximately 490 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available.
UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. This university ranks 10th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 924 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the child development program earn about $32,301 in their early career salary.
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 19 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.
There were approximately 33 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year.
Our Master of Science in Psychology program is designed to extend your knowledge and discipline in psychology, preparing you for a wide variety of professions and contexts.
Fordham U is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Bronx. This university ranks 7th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 52 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Fordham U in the most recent data year.
Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Providence. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Brown is a great university overall.
There were roughly 59 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, child development degree recipients typically earn an average of $39,493 in the first five years of their career.
UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 162 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the child development program state that they receive average early career wages of $31,986.
UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign. This university ranks 3rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 606 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the child development program earn an average of $33,384 in their early career salary.
BA in Human Services - Child & Family ServicesProgram Name
Gain the fundamental tools required to improve the lives of children and families in crisis with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 371 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the child development program report average early career earnings of $34,450.
Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were approximately 36 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available.
UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the city of Minneapolis. This university ranks 1st out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 181 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the child development program state that they receive average early career income of $31,027.
Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were about 644 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the child development & psychology major at Ohio State University - Main Campus make $52,543 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Located in the large city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were approximately 122 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the child development program state that they receive average early career earnings of $38,463.
Here are some additional great schools for Child Development & Psychology students that almost earned our Best Child Development & Psychology Schools award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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).
Your choice of child development & psychology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for child development & psychology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
