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2025 Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Plains States Region

14 Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,541 Child Development Degrees Awarded
$38,732 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in child development & psychology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #57 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 14 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for child development & psychology students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,541 degrees in child development & psychology to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Child Development & Psychology School

Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Plains States Region The child development program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Child Development & Psychology rankings. For our Best Overall Child Development & Psychology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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

Child Development & Psychology Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Child Development
Bachelor's Degrees in Child Development
Master's Degrees in Child Development
Doctor's Degrees in Child Development

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Child Development & Psychology Schools in the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Child Development & Psychology in the Plains States 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 child development degree levels they offer.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Child Development

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
181 Child Development Degrees Awarded
3.9% Growth in Graduates

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a good option for students interested in a degree in child development & psychology. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 181 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, child development degree recipients generally make around $31,027 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
214 Child Development Degrees Awarded
1.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in child development & psychology needs to check out Washington University in St Louis. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 214 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, child development degree recipients typically earn an average of $37,377 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Washington University in St Louis

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Psychology - Child & Adolescent Development Program Name

Gain practical experience working with children in a variety of settings with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Psychology - Child & Adolescent Development from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In KS
42 Child Development Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat University of Kansas if you wish to pursue a degree in child development & psychology. KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 42 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from University of Kansas

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In MO

University of Missouri - Columbia is a good choice for students interested in a degree in child development & psychology. 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 approximately 20 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Child Development Degrees Awarded
18.6% Growth in Graduates

Carleton is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Northfield. A Best Colleges rank of #245 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Carleton is a great college overall.

There were about 43 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Carleton in the most recent data year. After graduating, child development degree recipients typically make an average of $39,238 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Carleton College

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
110 Child Development Degrees Awarded
1.8% Growth in Graduates

K -State is a fairly large public university located in the 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 about 110 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, child development degree recipients typically make around $36,257 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Kansas State University

7
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, MO
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
206 Child Development Degrees Awarded
$40,313 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 16th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 206 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Park University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, child development degree recipients generally make around $40,313 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Park University

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MS in Psychology - Child & Adolescent Development Psychology Program Name

Learn assessment, intervention and consultation strategies that address the unique individual, cultural and psychological needs of children and families with this specialized online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in MS in Psychology - Child & Adolescent Development Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Child Development Degrees Awarded
9.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Grinnell, Grinnell is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 4th out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 33 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Grinnell in the most recent data year. After graduation, child development degree recipients usually earn around $28,507 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Grinnell College

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Child Development Degrees Awarded
$26,845 Median Starting Salary

Creighton is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Omaha. A Best Colleges rank of #128 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Creighton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 74 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at Creighton in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, child development degree recipients typically make around $26,845 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from Creighton University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Child Development Degrees Awarded
$34,822 Median Starting Salary

UCM is a fairly large public university located in the town of Warrensburg. This university ranks 21st out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 52 child development & psychology students who graduated with this degree at UCM in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, child development degree recipients usually make an average of $34,822 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in child development & psychology from University of Central Missouri

Best Child Development & Psychology Colleges by State

Explore the best child development & psychology schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 552
Missouri 283 656
Kansas 266 170
Iowa 264 69
Nebraska 238 136
North Dakota 210 2

View All Rankings >

Child Development & Psychology is one of 24 different types of Psychology programs to choose from.

Child Development Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Other Research & Experimental Psychology 613
Developmental & Child Psychology 429
Social Psychology 272
Experimental Psychology 172
Cognitive Psychology & Psycholinguistics 39
Behavioral Neuroscience 16

View All Child Development Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 8,398
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 3,687
Other Psychology 41

View All Child Development Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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