College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Southeast Region

53 Colleges in the Southeast Region
10,765 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.

College Factual looked at 53 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 10,765 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 Southeast 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

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 Southeast Region. 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 Southeast 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. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Southeast Region Schools in Human Development

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
230 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$33,654 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Virginia Tech if you want to pursue a degree in human development & family studies. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 230 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the human development program earn an average of $33,654 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Virginia Tech

2
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
282 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$29,690 Median Starting Salary

Florida State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in human development & family studies. Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tallahassee. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Florida State is a great university overall.

There were about 282 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Florida State 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 $29,690.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
188 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$31,392 Median Starting Salary

University of Georgia is a great option for students pursuing a degree in human development & family studies. UGA is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were about 188 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, human development degree recipients usually earn about $31,392 at the beginning of their careers.

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

4
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
133 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$38,066 Median Starting Salary

University of Florida is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in human development & family studies. UF is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #56 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were about 133 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies major at University of Florida earn $5,615 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 University of Florida

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
163 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$30,264 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #180 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 163 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UA in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the human development program make an average of $30,264 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from The University of Alabama

6
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$30,502 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #169 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Auburn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 102 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Auburn in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the human development program make about $30,502 in the first couple years of working.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
121 Human Development Degrees Awarded
3.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 17th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 121 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, human development degree recipients usually earn around $33,878 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Human Development Degrees Awarded
13.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were roughly 58 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. Those human development & family studies students who get their degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus make $2,082 more than the typical human development grad.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$36,624 Median Starting Salary

UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Knoxville. A Best Colleges rank of #226 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.

There were approximately 98 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies degree program at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville make $4,174 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$29,607 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 68 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the human development program earn an average of $29,607 for their early career.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from East Carolina University

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 Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA
12 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
13 American Public University System Charles Town, WV
14 Reynolds Community College Richmond, VA
15 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
16 Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL
17 Polk State College Winter Haven, FL

Best Human Development & Family Studies Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 317
Florida 282 649
North Carolina 279 279
Virginia 274 607
Tennessee 269 371
South Carolina 248 413
Kentucky 244 212
Louisiana 242 315
Mississippi 234 423
Arkansas 234 184
Alabama 233 546
West Virginia 207 328

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 5,305
General Human Development & Family Studies 1,729
Child Development 1,468
Child Care & Support Services Management 1,335
Family & Community Services 325
Other Human Development, Family Studies, & Related Services 221
Early Childhood and Family Studies 171
Family Systems 135
Adult Development & Aging 63
Developmental Services Worker 13

View All Human Development Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Human Development

Related Major Annual Graduates
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 1,106
Textile & Apparel Studies 952
General Family & Consumer Sciences 751
Family & Consumer Economics 323
Housing 199
Human Sciences Business Services 109
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences (Other) 38

View All Human Development Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options