Online Child Development Degree Programs

Online child development degree programs are ideal for people who enjoy working with young children, helping them build important life skills.

A campus or online degree in child development can lead to a career in school counseling, social work, child advocacy, early childhood education, elementary education and other areas. As a child development graduate, you would work with parents and educators to advise them in child cognitive development, public policy reforms related to education, developing early childhood education programs, and address the special needs of children with physical and developmental challenges. Child development online degree programs lead to child development jobs that involve working with young children. This career presents opportunities for applying training and child development theories outside of the classroom environment in a variety of setting and professional positions including administration and management, direct care, teaching, and curriculum development with the appropriate training and experience.

Selected Online Child Development Degree Programs

Capella University - Online

• MS - Child and Adolescent Development
• MS - Early Childhood Education

University of Phoenix

• AA in Paraprofessional Education

Walden University

• B.S. in Child Development

Kaplan University

• AS in Interdisciplinary Studies / Early Childhood Development
• BS in Human Services / Child and Family Welfare

Western Governors University

• B.A. in Early Childhood Education (Birth through Grade 3)

Locate Child Development Colleges in your area

Search Child Development Online Degree Programs

Child Development Courses and Education

Child development education programs offer training in specialized courses in child development theories, child behavior and development, developmental psychology, adolescent psychology, social work, values and ethics, etc. Child development colleges offer courses in areas such as:

• Multicultural Issues in Child Development
• Child Health and Nutrition
• Classroom Management
• Social Policy Issues in American Childhood
• Cognitive and Language Development
• Social and Emotional Development
• Social Policy

Other classes may include: Language Arts for Young Learners, Music and Movement for Children, Science and Math Concepts for Children, Teaching Art, Music, and Movement to Children, Math, Science and Social Studies for Children, Reading Methods, Working with Exceptional Children, Behavior Management for Children, and Administration of Childcare Programs among other courses.

A child development associate degree takes two years to complete while the bachelors degree takes about four years. Online child development masters degree program specialize in specific segments of the child population or specific areas of concentration. Online child development degree programs might include child development course work on preschool, gifted children and special needs children, elementary education, early education, adolescent education, school social work, and early intervention assessment programs.

Child Development Careers

What can you do with a child development degree? For most child development jobs, a degree is required and in many cases for a management or supervisory position, a physical education master degree is necessary. For entry-level positions an associate or bachelor degree is necessary.

Careers with a online child development degree include working in family therapy social work, health education, and counseling. With an child development masters degree you can also work in supervision and administration. Clinical and therapeutic positions for example child counseling require certification and a professional degree, while college teaching and research positions require one to have a PhD. Some careers include:

• School social work
• Elementary school teaching
• Public policy advising
• Educational program evaluation
• School psychologist
• Curriculum design and development
• Family counseling
• School counseling
• Child policy research
• Teacher assistants
• Preschool teaching
• Middle school teaching
• Special education

Expected Salary and Projected Career Growth

Child development study is an important area especially for early childhood education and elementary education. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that child development careers should increase by at around 11% between 2008 and 2018.

The BLS reports the following salary ranges for 2008: Pre-kindergarten teacher - $23,000 to $38,000 per year; Social workers working with schools and children and their families - $39,530; Child life specialist - $38,870; Child care workers - $17,630; Daycare workers - $23,000 and $32,000; Daycare administrator - $30,000 and $50,000; Kindergarten and elementary school teachers - $30,000 - $51,000; Preschool and elementary administrators - $59,881 and $90,823 per year. With a campus or online child development degree you will attain the required training to work with young learners.

Online child development degree programs and early childhood education degrees