Developmental and Child Psychology Degrees (2026 stats)

Developmental and Child Psychology: what the data shows

Common questions about developmental and child psychology degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a developmental and child psychology degree?

A Developmental and Child Psychology program is classified under NCES CIP 42.2703 in the Research and Experimental Psychology field family (42.27).

A program that focuses on the scientific study of the unique stages of psychological growth and development of individuals from infancy through childhood. Includes instruction in cognitive and perceptual development, emotional development, personality development, the effects of biological maturation on behavior, theories of cognitive growth and related research methods, testing and assessment methods for different age levels, research on child and adolescent behavior therapy, and the psychology of aging

IPEDS counted 586 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.

Types of developmental and child psychology degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 42.27 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

• Behavioral Neuroscience (CIP 42.2706)
• Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics (CIP 42.2701)
• Comparative Psychology (CIP 42.2702)
• Developmental and Adolescent Psychology (CIP 42.2710)
• Experimental Psychology (CIP 42.2704)
• Personality Psychology (CIP 42.2705)
• Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology (CIP 42.2708)
• Psychopharmacology (CIP 42.2709)
• Research and Experimental Psychology, Other (CIP 42.2799)
• Social Psychology (CIP 42.2707)

How long does it take to get a developmental and child psychology degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 42.2703 in our file:

• 586 Bachelor's (36.4% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
• 1,007 Master's (62.5% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
• 19 Doctorate (1.2% of IPEDS total)—varies by program

Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.

What degree do you need?

For Teachers and Instructors, All Other (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a developmental and child psychology degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Developmental and Child Psychology to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a developmental and child psychology degree worth it?

College Scorecard national medians for the Research and Experimental Psychology bachelor's program family: median debt $28,430, median earnings $55,695 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.82.

About 7.3% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $12,058 and median net price is $18,844.

We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.