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2025 Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California

20 Colleges in California
14,678 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$32,451 Avg Early-Career Salary
Human Development & Family Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #44 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 20 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 14,678 degrees in human development & family studies to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Human Development & Family Studies School

Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in California The human development program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Human Development & Family Studies rankings. We derive our Best Overall Human Development & Family Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Human Development & Family Studies Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Human Development
Bachelor's Degrees in Human Development
Master'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 California. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Human Development & Family Studies in California

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the human development degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top California Schools in Human Development

1
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
281 Human Development Degrees Awarded
6.4% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in human development & family studies needs to check out Modesto Junior College. MJC is a fairly large public college located in the city of Modesto. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means MJC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 281 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at MJC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, human development degree recipients generally earn an average of $16,815 in the first five years of their career.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Human Development Degrees Awarded
12.1% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in human development & family studies has to look into University of California - San Diego. UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 99 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the human development program earn about $33,489 in the first couple years of working.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
228 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$41,195 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat California State University - East Bay if you wish to pursue a degree in human development & family studies. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #464 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cal State East Bay is a great university overall.

There were roughly 228 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal State East Bay in the most recent data year. Human Development & Family Studies degree recipients from California State University - East Bay get an earnings boost of approximately $8,744 over the average income of human development & family studies graduates.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
125 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$30,205 Median Starting Salary

California State University - Long Beach is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in human development & family studies. CSULB is a very large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. 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 year we have data available. After graduation, human development degree recipients generally earn an average of $30,205 at the beginning of their careers.

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

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
212 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$30,519 Median Starting Salary

Fresno City College is a very large public college located in the city of Fresno. 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. Students who graduate with their degree from the human development program report average early career wages of $30,519.

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

6
SAC crest
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
263 Human Development Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Santa Ana, SAC is a public college with a very large student population. This college ranks 109th out of 161 colleges 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. After graduating, human development degree recipients usually make about $23,863 at the beginning of their careers.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
192 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$31,184 Median Starting Salary

CSUSM is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of San Marcos. A Best Colleges rank of #507 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CSUSM is a great university overall.

There were about 192 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at CSUSM in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the human development program report average early career income of $31,184.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
24th Most Popular In CA
84 Human Development Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of La Verne, ULV is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 78th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 84 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at ULV in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from University of La Verne

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$32,957 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 96th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 98 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Fresno Pacific in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, human development degree recipients generally make about $32,957 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Fresno Pacific University

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
41st Most Popular In CA
223 Human Development Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #576 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Riverside City College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 223 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Riverside City College in the most recent data year.

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

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

Explore all the Best Human Development & Family Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 291
Oregon 266 444
Nevada 192 174
Hawaii 164 69
Alaska 119 29

View All Rankings >

Human Development & Family Studies is one of 8 different types of Family, Consumer & Human Sciences programs to choose from.

Human Development Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Child Care Provider/Assistant 12,222
General Human Development & Family Studies 1,462
Child Development 581
Child Care & Support Services Management 280
Adult Development & Aging 94
Family & Community Services 38
Family Systems 1

View All Human Development Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Textile & Apparel Studies 684
General Family & Consumer Sciences 681
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 457
Family & Consumer Economics 11
Human Sciences Business Services 7

View All Human Development Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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