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

Human Development & Family Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #105 most popular doctor's 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 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Human Development & Family Studies Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 165 doctor's degrees in human development & family studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to human development & family studies students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of human development & family studies students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt human development & family studies students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized human development & family studies related body.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Doctor's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Human Development & Family Studies in the United States

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for human development & family studies students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Top Schools for a Doctorate in Human Development

1

Iowa State University
Ames, IA

12 Annual Graduates

Iowa State University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in human development & family studies. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in human development & family studies from Iowa State University

2

Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, IN

10 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in human development & family studies needs to look into Purdue University - Main Campus. Purdue is a very large public university located in the city of West Lafayette.More information about a doctorate in human development & family studies from Purdue University - Main Campus

Human Development & Family Studies by Region

View the Best Human Development & Family Studies Doctor'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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Rankings in Majors Related to Human Development

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 Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
General Human Development & Family Studies	119
Family & Community Services	16
Other Human Development, Family Studies, & Related Services	14
Child Development	8
Family Systems	7
Adult Development & Aging	1

Most Popular Majors Related to Human Development

Related Major	Annual Graduates
General Family & Consumer Sciences	39
Food, Nutrition & Related Services	20
Textile & Apparel Studies	14
Family & Consumer Economics	9
Housing	9
Human Sciences Business Services	2

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Jsonin. More about our data sources and methodologies.