Human Development and Family Studies

Family & Consumer Sciences · federal classification: Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services

Human Development and Family Studies graduates with a bachelor's typically earned about $46,758, measured a few years after finishing (median across US programs, College Scorecard).
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Median earnings by degree level

Earnings range across schools, by degree levelEach row is a degree level: the bar is the middle half of schools' program medians (25th to 75th percentile) and the dot is the overall median. Certificate median $31,122, $25,157 to $34,791; Associate's median $34,958, $29,575 to $39,025; Bachelor's median $46,758, $44,345 to $51,756; Grad cert median $57,021, $49,557 to $68,678; Master's median $56,989, $51,914 to $61,276.$25k$47k$69kCertificate$31,122Associate's$34,958Bachelor's$46,758Grad cert$57,021Master's$56,989
DegreeMedian earningsTypical rangeSchoolsClear the bar
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$31,122$25,157 to $34,7916917%
Associate's Degree$34,958$29,575 to $39,02510139%
Bachelor's Degree$46,758$44,345 to $51,75618193%
Graduate/Professional Certificate$57,021$49,557 to $68,6785100%
Master's Degree$56,989$51,914 to $61,27633100%

"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.

Job outlook

Projected employment growth +4% (2024 to 2034), about 297,800 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.

OccupationMedian payGrowthOpenings/yr
Childcare Workers$32,050-2.9%160,200
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education$37,120+4.1%65,500
Social and Human Service Assistants$45,120+6.4%50,600
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$54,940+4.6%13,100
Psychologists, All Other$117,580+4.3%3,900
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other$100,340-1.7%3,200

Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.

Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.