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2025 Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

26 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
15,895 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$32,451 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in human development & family studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #44 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 26 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 15,895 degrees in human development & family studies annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Human Development & Family Studies School

Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of human development & family studies 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 human development & family studies 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.

Human Development & Family Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Human Development
Bachelor's Degrees in Human Development
Master's Degrees in Human Development
Doctor's Degrees in Human Development

The human 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 Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Human Development & Family Studies in the Far Western US Region

The schools below may not offer all types of human development degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Human Development

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
199 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$39,880 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in human development & family studies has to look into Washington State University. Wazzu is a very large public university located in the distant town of Pullman. A Best Colleges rank of #182 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wazzu is a great university overall.

There were approximately 199 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Wazzu in the most recent data year. Human Development & Family Studies degree recipients from Washington State University earn a boost of around $7,429 above the average income of human development & family studies graduates.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Washington State University

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
281 Human Development Degrees Awarded
6.4% Growth in Graduates

Modesto Junior College is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in human development & family studies. Located in the city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means MJC is a great college overall.

There were about 281 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at MJC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the human development program make about $16,815 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Modesto Junior College

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Human Development Degrees Awarded
12.1% Growth in Graduates

University of California - San Diego is a great option for students pursuing a degree in human development & family studies. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 99 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the human development program report average early career earnings of $33,489.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from University of California - San Diego

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
221 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$33,543 Median Starting Salary

Oregon State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in human development & family studies. Located in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #238 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Oregon State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 221 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Oregon State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the human development program earn around $33,543 for their early career.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Oregon State University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
228 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$41,195 Median Starting Salary

Cal State East Bay is a large public university located in the large suburb of Hayward. A Best Colleges rank of #464 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cal State East Bay is a great university overall.

There were about 228 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal State East Bay in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies major at California State University - East Bay get $8,744 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from California State University - East Bay

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
107 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$35,322 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Reno, UNR is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #427 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNR is a great university overall.

There were about 107 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UNR in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies program at University of Nevada - Reno earn $2,871 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from University of Nevada - Reno

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
125 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$30,205 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #246 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.

There were about 125 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the human development program make around $30,205 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from California State University - Long Beach

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
212 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$30,519 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 98th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 212 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Fresno City College in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, human development degree recipients generally make around $30,519 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Fresno City College

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Human Development Degrees Awarded
24.0% Growth in Graduates

EWU is a fairly large public university located in the fringe town of Cheney. This university ranks 16th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 75 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at EWU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the human development program earn an average of $28,589 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Eastern Washington University

10
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
263 Human Development Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

SAC is a very large public college located in the large city of Santa Ana. This college ranks 109th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 263 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at SAC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the human development program make an average of $23,863 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Santa Ana College

Best Human Development & Family Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best human development & family studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 6,606
Washington 300 291
Oregon 266 444
Nevada 192 174
Hawaii 164 69
Alaska 119 29

View All Rankings >

One of 8 majors within the Family, Consumer & Human Sciences area of study, Human Development & Family Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Human Development Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Child Care Provider/Assistant 12,317
General Human Development & Family Studies 1,986
Child Development 756
Child Care & Support Services Management 463
Family & Community Services 150
Adult Development & Aging 113
Other Human Development, Family Studies, & Related Services 99
Family Systems 5
Parent Education Services 4
Developmental Services Worker 2

View All Human Development Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Textile & Apparel Studies 827
General Family & Consumer Sciences 701
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 550
Human Sciences Business Services 28
Family & Consumer Economics 11
Housing 5

View All Human Development Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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