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Child development consultant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a child development consultant. Child development consultants usually study psychology, education, or human development. 56% of child development consultants hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 416 real child development consultant resumes to see exactly what child development consultant education sections show.

The most common colleges for child development consultants are the Michigan State University and the Michigan State University.

There are also many online child development consultant courses to help get the education required to be a child development consultant.

What education do you need to become a child development consultant?

What degree do you need to be a child development consultant?

The most common degree for child development consultants is bachelor's degree, with 56% of child development consultants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 22% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 56%
  • Master's, 22%
  • Associate, 10%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a child development consultant?

You should major in psychology to become a child development consultant. 12% of child development consultants major in psychology. Other common majors for a child development consultant include education and human development.

Most common colleges for child development consultants

Child development consultants often get their degrees at Michigan State University, University of Connecticut, and Wayne State University. Here are the most common colleges for child development consultants in the US based on their resumes.
Child development consultant common collegePercentages
Michigan State University8.16%
University of Connecticut6.12%
Wayne State University6.12%
Auburn University Main Campus6.12%
University of Toledo6.12%

Best majors for child development consultants

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology11.8%
2Education11.3%
3Human Development10.3%
4Early Childhood Education8.8%
5Business7.4%

Best colleges for child development consultants

The best colleges for child development consultants are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A child development consultant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for child development consultants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become child development consultants.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

20 best online courses for child development consultants

Advertising disclosure

1. Child Care as a Business

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A Systems Mindset teaches learners how to interact effectively as service providers, consultants, researchers, developers, or other professionals providing a service or product to a person, group, or community. This course provides the basic foundations for policy makers, real estate developers, consultants, government agencies, engineers, and non-profit organizations the first steps in engaging complex problems where engagement with communities and stakeholders is necessary. Being a successful...

3. Fully Accredited Professional Child Psychology Diploma

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Learn or Specialise Your Therapy in Child Psychology with this Fully Accredited Diploma Course...

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5. Home-Based Child Care

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This series of courses is intended to provide learners with the tools to develop and operate a home-based childcare center. Stages of child development, best practices to stimulate learning, important safety measures, and business fundamentals are introduced...

6. Introduction to Child Psychology - ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE

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Top 10 most affordable universities for child development consultants

The most affordable schools for child development consultants are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - bakersfield, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for child development consultants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for child development consultants.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for child development consultants

The hardest universities for child development consultants to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for child development consultants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for child development consultants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for child development consultants

The easiest schools for child development consultants to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a child development consultant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for child development consultants.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

8. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average child development consultant salary by education level

According to our data, child development consultants with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $45,623 annually. Child development consultants with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $39,819.
Child development consultant education levelChild development consultant salary
Master's Degree$45,623
Bachelor's Degree$39,819

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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