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2025 Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region

28 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
3,748 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$32,451 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in human development & family studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #44 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 28 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for human development & family studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,748 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 Great Lakes Region Your choice of human development & family studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Human Development & Family Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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

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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Human Development & Family Studies in the Great Lakes Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the human development degree levels they offer.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Human Development

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$34,149 Median Starting Salary

University of Wisconsin - Madison is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in human development & family studies. UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 136 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the human development program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,149.

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

2
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
127 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$31,434 Median Starting Salary

Michigan State University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in human development & family studies. Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of East Lansing. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 127 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year. After graduation, human development degree recipients generally make an average of $31,434 in their early careers.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
134 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$34,610 Median Starting Salary

Ohio State University - Main Campus is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in human development & family studies. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 134 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies program at Ohio State University - Main Campus make $2,159 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Human Development Degrees Awarded
36.8% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Purdue University - Main Campus if you want to pursue a degree in human development & family studies. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #65 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were about 87 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies major at Purdue University - Main Campus earn $2,985 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Purdue University - Main Campus

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$39,397 Median Starting Salary

Union is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Union is a great university overall.

There were approximately 27 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Union in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies major at Union Institute & University make $6,946 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Union Institute & University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Human Development Degrees Awarded
2.7% Growth in Graduates

UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 75 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the human development program report average early career earnings of $29,762.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

7
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$35,318 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 56 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 98 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Central Michigan in the most recent data year. Human Development & Family Studies degree recipients from Central Michigan University earn a boost of about $2,867 over the average earnings of human development & family studies graduates.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Central Michigan University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Human Development Degrees Awarded
9.0% Growth in Graduates

WMU is a large public university located in the small city of Kalamazoo. A Best Colleges rank of #322 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 78 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at WMU in the most recent year we have data available. Those human development & family studies students who get their degree from Western Michigan University earn $2,758 more than the standard human development student.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Western Michigan University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Human Development Degrees Awarded
3.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #184 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means OHIO Athens is a great university overall.

There were about 63 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent data year. Those human development & family studies students who get their degree from Ohio University - Athens Campus earn $2,797 more than the typical human development student.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Ohio University - Athens Campus

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$33,643 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #250 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Kent State is a great university overall.

There were about 90 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the human development program state that they receive average early career earnings of $33,643.

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

Best Human Development & Family Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best human development & family studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 693
Ohio 314 597
Illinois 304 703
Indiana 294 152
Wisconsin 273 299

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 1,482
General Human Development & Family Studies 922
Child Care & Support Services Management 469
Child Development 361
Family & Community Services 253
Family Systems 115
Other Human Development, Family Studies, & Related Services 83
Adult Development & Aging 44
Early Childhood and Family Studies 19

View All Human Development Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Human Development

Related Major Annual Graduates
Textile & Apparel Studies 401
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 371
General Family & Consumer Sciences 191
Housing 138
Family & Consumer Economics 64
Human Sciences Business Services 41
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences (Other) 1

View All Human Development Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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