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2025 Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

9 Colleges in California
4,337 Bachelor's Degrees
$29,316 Avg Early-Career Salary
Child Development & Psychology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #37 most popular bachelor'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 9 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 4,337 bachelor's degrees in child development & psychology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Child Development & Psychology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of child development & psychology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality child development program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for child development & psychology students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Child Development Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The child 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 Child Development & Psychology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Child Development & Psychology in California

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for child development & psychology students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Child Development

1
633 Annual Graduates
$29,830 Median Starting Salary
$17,042 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat University of California - Irvine if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in child development & psychology. UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine.

After graduating, child development bachelor's recipients usually make around $29,830 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in child development & psychology from University of California - Irvine

2
650 Annual Graduates
$34,431 Median Starting Salary
$28,972 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in child development & psychology. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the child development & psychology major at University of California - Santa Barbara make $5,115 above the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in child development & psychology from University of California - Santa Barbara

3
958 Annual Graduates
$32,301 Median Starting Salary
$25,053 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of California - Davis if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in child development & psychology. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the child development & psychology major at University of California - Davis earn $2,985 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in child development & psychology from University of California - Davis

4
390 Annual Graduates
$34,450 Median Starting Salary
$25,862 Median Student Debt

University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in child development & psychology. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

Bachelor's recipients from the child development & psychology degree program at University of California - Berkeley make $5,134 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in child development & psychology from University of California - Berkeley

5
412 Annual Graduates
$27,748 Median Starting Salary
$30,846 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduation, child development bachelor's recipients generally make about $27,748 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in child development & psychology from University of California - Los Angeles

6

UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the child development program state that they receive average early career income of $23,420.

More information about a bachelor’s in child development & psychology from University of California - San Diego

7
597 Annual Graduates
$25,654 Median Starting Salary
$13,133 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the child development program earn around $25,654 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in child development & psychology from University of California - Riverside

8
365 Annual Graduates

UC Merced is a medium-sized public university located in the midsize suburb of Merced.More information about a bachelor’s in child development & psychology from University of California - Merced

9
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA
54 Annual Graduates

Oxy is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in child development & psychology from Occidental College

Best Child Development & Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 645
Oregon 185 0
Nevada 129 1

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One of 24 majors within the Psychology area of study, Child Development & Psychology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Child Development Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Other Research & Experimental Psychology 3,065
Behavioral Neuroscience 584
Experimental Psychology 513
Cognitive Psychology & Psycholinguistics 73
Social Psychology 65
Developmental & Child Psychology 37

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 15,336
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 438
Other Psychology 133

Notes and References

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