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2024 Best Child Development Schools in California

8 Colleges in California
581 Child Development Degrees Awarded
If you plan on majoring in child development, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #239 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual looked at 8 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Child Development Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 581 degrees in child development during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Child Development School

Best Child Development Schools in California Your choice of child development school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Child Development 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 Rankings by Degree Level

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

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 Schools in California. 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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Child Development in California

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.

Top California Schools in Child Development

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In CA
68 Child Development Degrees Awarded

University of La Verne is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in child development. Located in the suburb of La Verne, ULV is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 94th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 68 child development students who graduated with this degree at ULV in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in child development from University of La Verne

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

Cabrillo College is a great option for students interested in a degree in child development. Cabrillo College is a medium-sized public college located in the midsize suburb of Aptos. This college ranks 118th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.More information about a degree in child development from Cabrillo College

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
95 Child Development Degrees Awarded

Point Loma Nazarene University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in child development. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means PLNU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 95 child development students who graduated with this degree at PLNU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in child development from Point Loma Nazarene University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
90 Child Development Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat California State University - San Bernardino if you want to pursue a degree in child development. Located in the midsize city of San Bernardino, CSUSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 99th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 90 child development students who graduated with this degree at CSUSB in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in child development from California State University - San Bernardino

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
98 Child Development Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #360 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Fresno Pacific is a great university overall.

There were roughly 98 child development students who graduated with this degree at Fresno Pacific in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in child development from Fresno Pacific University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
85 Child Development Degrees Awarded

UAGC is a very large private for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #305 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UAGC is a great university overall.

There were about 85 child development students who graduated with this degree at UAGC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in child development from The University of Arizona Global Campus

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Child Development Degrees Awarded

Fresno State is a very large public university located in the large city of Fresno. This university ranks 74th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.More information about a degree in child development from California State University - Fresno

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #317 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means MSMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 11 child development students who graduated with this degree at MSMU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in child development from Mount Saint Mary’s University

Best Child Development Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Child Development Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Washington83163
Oregon58725
Alaska16720

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Human Development & Family Studies area of study, Child Development has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Child Care Provider/Assistant12,222
General Human Development & Family Studies1,462
Child Care & Support Services Management280
Adult Development & Aging94
Family & Community Services38
Family Systems1

View All Child Development Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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