Online Child Development Degree

Online Child Development Degree

With a degree in Child Development, you will be knowledgeable in all aspects of a child's maturity including physical, intellectual, cognitive, and emotional. Armed with this valuable knowledge, you'll not only be able to work as a counselor or social worker or child advocate, but also you can be a valuable asset to your community as an advisor to parents or law makers or any person/agency who can influence a child's well being.

Degree Choices

AA, BA, MA, Doctorate Although it is possible to get an Associate's Degree in Child Development, typically most entry-level positions which deal with children require at minimum a Bachelor's Degree and often will involve eventually working your way up to the Master's level.

If you plan on getting into family therapy or counseling or administrative positions, you should aim for your Master's or higher.

In a Child Development degree program you will have the opportunity to take a wide range of course dealing with values, ethics, and the behavior and development of children of a range of ages.

Most programs start out with a similar core set of courses to set the ground work for your future career. In the core courses you will learn about all aspects of a child's development from birth through adolescence; courses will tend to be a balance between nature (physical) and nurture (environmental influences).

Those who choose to pursue a graduate degree in Child Development will typically focus on a specialized area such as special needs or gifted children or will tend to choose a specific age group such as preschool, elementary, or adolescent education.

Career and Salary Outlook

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, careers in Child Development should see a growth of 20% through 2016. This rate may vary slightly due to the type of position sought; for example the growth rate is estimated to rise to 22% for school social workers, while school psychologists are slated to grow 16%.

If you are already working with children, a degree in Child Development can help you increase your salary and move you more rapidly up the career ladder.

For a holder of a Child Development degree, opportunities abound. Jobs are available with direct contact with the children you will help as a school social worker or school psychologist or teacher. You can also serve the children of our society as a public policy advisor or a family counselor or an educational program evaluator.

As the enrollment numbers continue to rise, there will be plenty of work available for those with degrees in Child Development for a long time to come.