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CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES

Associate in Arts

The Child Development and Family Studies Associate of Arts degree prepares students to work with children and their families, in a variety of settings, including direct services, advocacy/public policy, family support, and early intervention.— 

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CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES Pathways

Pathways listed below are for the catalog year 2025-2026. Maps for previous years are available on each pathway page. What is a catalog year?

Featured Careers

Find your calling. Explore high-earning careers with entry-level data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  • Art Therapists

    Master's degree

    • Job growth: Rising
    • Low salary: 38,840
    • High salary: 120,050
    • Average salary: 65010
    Rising Job Growth $ 65,010 Average Salary $38,840 $120,050

  • Childcare Workers

    High school diploma/GED, Associate's degree

    • Job growth: Rising
    • Low salary: 22,900
    • High salary: 44,560
    • Average salary: 32050
    Rising Job Growth $ 32,050 Average Salary $22,900 $44,560

  • Clinical Neuropsychologists

    Post-doctoral training

    • Job growth: Stable
    • Low salary: 51,410
    • High salary: 163,570
    • Average salary: 117580
    Stable Job Growth $ 117,580 Average Salary $51,410 $163,570

All Careers in CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES (18)

Clinical NeuropsychologistsPost-doctoral trainingStable117,580
NeuropsychologistsPost-doctoral training, Doctoral degreeStable117,580
Psychologists, All Other- n/a- n/a117,580
Health Specialties Teachers, PostsecondaryMaster's degree, Doctoral degreeRising105,620
Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral degree, Master's degreeStable77,280
Education Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral degreeStable72,090
Art TherapistsMaster's degreeRising65,010
Music TherapistsBachelor's degree, Master's degreeRising65,010
Therapists, All Other- n/a- n/a65,010
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationBachelor's degree, Master's degreeDeclining62,340
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special EducationBachelor's degree, Master's degreeDeclining61,430
Farm and Home Management EducatorsMaster's degree, Bachelor's degreeDeclining58,120
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education- n/aStable37,120
Childcare WorkersHigh school diploma/GED, Associate's degreeRising32,050
NanniesHigh school diploma/GED, Some collegeRising32,050
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other- n/a- n/a
Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education- n/aDeclining
Teaching Assistants, Special Education- n/aDeclining

Program Pathways Mapper incorporates information from O*NET Web Services by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes help you work towards your educational goals.

  1. Apply effective guidance and interaction strategies that support children's social and emotional development and promote positive and reciprocal relationships among culturally and linguistically diverse children and their families.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of human development theory and the multiple interacting influences on a child's development, including family school, community, and culture.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of physical, emotional, social, and cognitive developmental changes and understand why early development sets the foundation for lifelong learning, behavior, and health.
  4. Describe the community's role in supporting and strengthening families, identify community resources, and explain how agencies can provide more culturally competent services.
  5. Recognize that the family is a complex social system in which members interact to influence each other's behavior, emotional well-being, and health in functional and dysfunctional ways, and apply this understanding to self, family, and career.