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2025 Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Southeast Region

21 Colleges in the Southeast Region
2,072 Child Development Degrees Awarded
$38,732 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in child development & psychology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #57 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 21 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,072 degrees in child development & psychology during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Child Development & Psychology School

Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Southeast Region The child development program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Child Development & Psychology rankings. For our Best Overall Child Development & Psychology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Child Development & Psychology Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Child Development
Master's Degrees in Child Development
Doctor's Degrees in Child Development

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Southeast Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Child Development & Psychology in the Southeast Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the child development degree levels they offer.

10 Top Southeast Region Schools in Child Development

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
154 Child Development Degrees Awarded
9.1% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in child development & psychology needs to look into Duke University. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 schools 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 data year. After graduating, child development degree recipients typically make an average of $39,359 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Duke University

2
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TN
36 Child Development Degrees Awarded

Vanderbilt University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in child development & psychology. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were roughly 36 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Vanderbilt University

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Psychology - Child & Adolescent Development Program Name

Gain practical experience working with children in a variety of settings with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Psychology - Child & Adolescent Development from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3

It's hard to beat Tulane University of Louisiana if you wish to pursue a degree in child development & psychology. Tulane is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Orleans. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Tulane is a great university overall.More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Tulane University of Louisiana

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

University of Georgia is a good option for students pursuing a degree in child development & psychology. Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.More information about a degree in child development & psychology from University of Georgia

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In TN
403 Child Development Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #226 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.

There were about 403 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
345 Child Development Degrees Awarded
$29,350 Median Starting Salary

UofSC is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #99 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UofSC is a great university overall.

There were about 345 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UofSC in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, child development degree recipients usually earn an average of $29,350 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from University of South Carolina - Columbia

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
318 Child Development Degrees Awarded
$30,816 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Jacksonville, UNF is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 26th out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were approximately 318 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UNF in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the child development program state that they receive average early career wages of $30,816.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from University of North Florida

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MS in Psychology - Child & Adolescent Development Psychology Program 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.

More information about a degree in MS in Psychology - Child & Adolescent Development Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

6
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In GA

Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.

There were roughly 7 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Emory University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

FIU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Miami. A Best Colleges rank of #262 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means FIU is a great university overall.More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Florida International University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In GA
45 Child Development Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Georgia Tech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 45 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Georgia Tech in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

Best Child Development & Psychology Colleges by State

Explore the best child development & psychology colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 352
Florida 282 544
North Carolina 279 133
Virginia 274 27
Tennessee 269 398
South Carolina 248 348
Kentucky 244 126
Louisiana 242 5
Mississippi 234 7
Arkansas 234 16
Alabama 233 55

View All Rankings >

Child Development & Psychology is one of 24 different types of Psychology programs to choose from.

Child Development Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Other Research & Experimental Psychology 1,402
Experimental Psychology 383
Behavioral Neuroscience 188
Developmental & Child Psychology 72
Psychometrics & Quantitative Psychology 16
Cognitive Psychology & Psycholinguistics 11

View All Child Development Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 31,808
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 6,190
Other Psychology 77

View All Child Development Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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