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2023 Early Childhood Education Degree Guide

Rapid Growth in Early Childhood Education Degrees Awarded

#34 Most Popular Major
32.9k Degrees Awarded
5.8% Increase in Graduates

In 2020-2021, early childhood education was the 34th most popular major nationwide with 32,920 degrees awarded. This represents a 5.8% increase in child development degrees awarded over the prior year's total of 31,017.

Our 2023 Best Early Childhood Education Schools ranking analyzes 497 of these schools to determine the best overall colleges for early childhood education students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of child development programs later in this article.

2023 Best Colleges for Early Childhood Education
2023 Overall Best Early Childhood Education Colleges >

Best Early Childhood Education Schools by Degree

Associate Degrees in Early Childhood Education
Bachelor's Degrees in Early Childhood Education
Master's Degrees in Early Childhood Education
Doctorate Degrees in Early Childhood Education

 

What Are The Requirements For a Degree in Early Childhood Education

Teaching others how to do something is a required skill for child development majors. Talking to others to convey information effectively and giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times are all required skills for careers related to this major.

Prior Education for a Child development Program

early childhood education degree applicants generally need have finished high school or their GED. Many schools may also have GPA and SAT/ACT score minimums that must be met. Specific child development careers may require a certain level of degree attainment or additional certifications beyond that.

Types of Early Childhood Education Degrees

There are many different child development degree levels. You can spend many years getting as high as a in early childhood education to something that takes less time like a . Depending on the early childhood education degree you choose, obtaining your diploma can take anwhere from 1 to 4+ years.

Degree Credit Requirements Typical Program Length
Associate Degree 60-70 credits 2 years
Bachelor’s Degree 120 credits 4 years
Master’s Degree 50-70 credits 1-3 years
Doctorate Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation At least 4 years

A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to child development, with approximately 46.4% of workers getting one. People currently working in careers related to child development tend obtained the following education levels.

Level of Education Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree 47.7%
High School Diploma 14.8%
Master’s Degree 13.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate 9.5%
Some College Courses 6.2%

About 68.6% of workers in careers related to child development obtain at least bachelor's degrees. See the chart below for the most common degree level workers in early childhood education have received.

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The education level required is different depending on the child development career you are seeking.

Career Opportunities for Child development Majors

Average Number of Jobs
46.4k Avg. Related Jobs Salary
10% Growth Job Outlook 2016-26

Solid Growth Projected for Child development Careers

Want a job when you graduate with your child development degree? Early Childhood Education careers are expected to grow 9.9% between 2016 and 2026.

The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to early childhood education.

Occupation Name Projected Jobs Expected Growth
Preschool Teachers 528,600 10.5%
Kindergarten Teachers 166,700 8.0%

How Much Money Do People With a Child development Degree Make?

As you might expect, salaries for child development graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.

High Paying Careers for Child development Majors

Salaries for early childhood education graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers child development grads often go into.

Occupation Name Median Average Salary
Kindergarten Teachers $58,370
Preschool Teachers $34,410

Getting Your Early Childhood Education Degree

With over 1,877 different child development degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased child development school rankings to help you with this.


 

Early Childhood Education is one of 12 different types of Teacher Education Grade Specific programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Elementary Education 43,003
Secondary Education 10,547
Teacher Education 9,949
Teacher Development & Methodology 6,165
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education & Teaching 3,517

View All Child development Related Majors >

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