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2025 Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Plains States Region

15 Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,860 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 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,860 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 the Plains States Region 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
Doctor's Degrees in Human Development

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Human Development & Family Studies Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision. 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 the Plains States Region

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 Plains States Region Schools in Human Development

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$36,364 Median Starting Salary

Iowa State University is a great option for students interested in a degree in human development & family studies. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 102 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Human Development & Family Studies degree recipients from Iowa State University earn a boost of approximately $3,913 above the average earnings of human development & family studies majors.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
148 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$41,717 Median Starting Salary

North Dakota State University - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in human development & family studies. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Fargo. A Best Colleges rank of #382 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means North Dakota State University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 148 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at North Dakota State University in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies program at North Dakota State University - Main Campus make $9,266 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
151 Human Development Degrees Awarded
4.6% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in human development & family studies has to look into Kansas State University. K -State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Manhattan. A Best Colleges rank of #269 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means K -State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 151 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent data year. Human Development & Family Studies degree recipients from Kansas State University receive an earnings boost of around $5,489 above the average earnings of human development & family studies majors.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$36,661 Median Starting Salary

University of Missouri - Columbia is a great option for students pursuing a degree in human development & family studies. Mizzou is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were about 45 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies degree program at University of Missouri - Columbia get $4,210 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Human Development Degrees Awarded
10.4% Growth in Graduates

South Dakota State is a fairly large public university located in the remote town of Brookings. This university ranks 3rd out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were approximately 67 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at South Dakota State in the most recent data year. Those human development & family studies students who get their degree from South Dakota State University receive $4,672 more than the average human development graduate.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$49,451 Median Starting Salary

UNL is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #207 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were about 36 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the human development & family studies program at University of Nebraska - Lincoln earn $17,000 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$32,769 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were approximately 80 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the human development program make around $32,769 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Missouri State University - Springfield

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Human Development Degrees Awarded
$32,614 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were approximately 36 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, human development degree recipients usually make an average of $32,614 in the first five years of their career.

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

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Human Development Degrees Awarded
18.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #408 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DMACC is a great college overall.

There were about 87 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at DMACC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the human development program state that they receive average early career wages of $22,623.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Des Moines Area Community College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Human Development Degrees Awarded
67.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 6th out of 19 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.

There were about 34 human development & family studies students who graduated with this degree at Southeast Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the human development program make an average of $29,534 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in human development & family studies from Southeast Community College Area

Best Human Development & Family Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best human development & family studies colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 230
Missouri 283 320
Kansas 266 195
Iowa 264 218
Nebraska 238 97
North Dakota 210 192
South Dakota 204 75

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
General Human Development & Family Studies 596
Child Care Provider/Assistant 535
Child Care & Support Services Management 388
Child Development 160
Family & Community Services 84
Other Human Development, Family Studies, & Related Services 52
Adult Development & Aging 15
Family Systems 14
Early Childhood and Family Studies 13
Developmental Services Worker 3

View All Human Development Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Family & Consumer Economics 329
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 325
Textile & Apparel Studies 293
General Family & Consumer Sciences 177
Housing 74
Human Sciences Business Services 27
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences (Other) 10

View All Human Development Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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