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2025 Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

128 Colleges in the United States
10,755 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,533 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in human development & family studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #39 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 128 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for human development & family studies students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 10,755 bachelor's degrees in human development & family studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Human Development & Family Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools The human development bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for human development & family studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Human Development & Family Studies Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Human Development Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Human Development & Family Studies in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in human development & family studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Human Development

1
158 Annual Graduates
$34,149 Median Starting Salary
$33,524 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat University of Wisconsin - Madison if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in human development & family studies. UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the human development program make around $34,149 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison

2

It's hard to beat Cornell University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in human development & family studies. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the human development & family studies major at Cornell University get $4,868 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Cornell University

3
149 Annual Graduates
$31,642 Median Starting Salary
$40,316 Median Student Debt

University of Connecticut is a good decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in human development & family studies. UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the town of Storrs.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the human development program make around $31,642 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from University of Connecticut

4
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
209 Annual Graduates
$33,654 Median Starting Salary
$34,041 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in human development & family studies needs to look into Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the human development program report average early career income of $33,654.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Virginia Tech

5
184 Annual Graduates
$39,096 Median Starting Salary
$25,883 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the human development & family studies major at Texas Tech University make $5,563 more than the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Texas Tech University

6
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
80 Annual Graduates
$31,434 Median Starting Salary
$28,099 Median Student Debt

Michigan State is a very large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.

After graduation, human development bachelor's recipients generally earn about $31,434 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Michigan State University

7
48 Annual Graduates
$36,364 Median Starting Salary
$25,030 Median Student Debt

Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Ames.

Human Development & Family Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Iowa State University get an earnings boost of approximately $2,831 above the typical earnings of human development & family studies graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Iowa State University

8
96 Annual Graduates
$36,445 Median Starting Salary
$21,310 Median Student Debt

University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tucson.

Bachelor's recipients from the human development & family studies degree program at University of Arizona make $2,912 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from University of Arizona

9
101 Annual Graduates
$34,610 Median Starting Salary
$20,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the human development program earn around $34,610 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus

10
135 Annual Graduates
$39,880 Median Starting Salary
$43,000 Median Student Debt

Wazzu is a very large public university located in the distant town of Pullman.

Those human development & family studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Washington State University make $6,347 more than the average human development grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Washington State University

11
144 Annual Graduates
$33,118 Median Starting Salary
$22,141 Median Student Debt

UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the human development program make around $33,118 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from The University of Texas at Austin

12
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
246 Annual Graduates
$29,690 Median Starting Salary
$26,054 Median Student Debt

Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tallahassee.

Soon after graduation, human development bachelor's recipients generally earn about $29,690 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Florida State University

13
135 Annual Graduates
$31,392 Median Starting Salary
$24,928 Median Student Debt

UGA is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Athens.

After graduating, human development bachelor's recipients typically make around $31,392 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from University of Georgia

14
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

UF is a very large public university located in the city of Gainesville.

Bachelor's recipients from the human development & family studies program at University of Florida earn $2,226 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from University of Florida

15

Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those human development & family studies students who get their bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University - Main Campus receive $8,184 more than the typical human development grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

16
90 Annual Graduates
$41,157 Median Starting Salary
$25,877 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those human development & family studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Maryland - College Park make $7,624 more than the standard human development graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from University of Maryland - College Park

17
117 Annual Graduates
$30,264 Median Starting Salary
$78,706 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the human development program earn around $30,264 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from The University of Alabama

18
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA

Located in the large suburb of Medford, Tufts is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the human development & family studies major at Tufts University make $10,812 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Tufts University

19
86 Annual Graduates
$34,241 Median Starting Salary
$27,305 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Manhattan, K -State is a public university with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the human development program report average early career wages of $34,241.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Kansas State University

20
100 Annual Graduates
$41,243 Median Starting Salary
$31,270 Median Student Debt

Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the human development & family studies program at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus make $7,710 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

21
88 Annual Graduates
$34,205 Median Starting Salary
$30,507 Median Student Debt

URI is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Kingston.

Soon after graduating, human development bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $34,205 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from University of Rhode Island

22
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL

Located in the small city of Auburn, Auburn is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the human development program state that they receive average early career wages of $30,502.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Auburn University

23

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, human development bachelor's recipients generally make about $33,489 in the first five years of their career.

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

24
84 Annual Graduates
$32,146 Median Starting Salary
$51,378 Median Student Debt

Located in the fringe town of Durham, UNH is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the human development program make an average of $32,146 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from University of New Hampshire - Main Campus

25
169 Annual Graduates
$33,543 Median Starting Salary
$33,413 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Corvallis, Oregon State is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the human development program make an average of $33,543 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in human development & family studies from Oregon State University

Rest of the Top Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
26 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
27 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
28 Union Institute & University Cincinnati, OH
29 Merrimack College North Andover, MA
30 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
31 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
32 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
33 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
34 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
35 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
36 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
37 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
38 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
39 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
40 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
41 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
42 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA

Human Development & Family Studies by Region

View the Best Human Development & Family Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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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
General Human Development & Family Studies 7,170
Child Development 1,605
Family & Community Services 754
Family Systems 338
Other Human Development, Family Studies, & Related Services 303
Early Childhood and Family Studies 293
Child Care & Support Services Management 196
Child Care Provider/Assistant 59
Adult Development & Aging 25
Parent Education Services 8

Related Major Annual Graduates
Textile & Apparel Studies 2,292
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 2,117
General Family & Consumer Sciences 1,979
Family & Consumer Economics 969
Human Sciences Business Services 475
Housing 154
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences (Other) 134

Notes and References

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