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Child development instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a child development instructor. Child development instructors usually study psychology, human development, or education. 59% of child development instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 420 real child development instructor resumes to see exactly what child development instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for child development instructors are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online child development instructor courses to help get the education required to be a child development instructor.
What education do you need to become a child development instructor?
What degree do you need to be a child development instructor?
- Bachelor's, 59%
- Master's, 13%
- Associate, 13%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a child development instructor?
- Psychology, 14%
- Human Development, 13%
- Education, 9%
- Other Majors, 55%
Most common colleges for child development instructors
| Child development instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 6.25% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.25% |
| Wayne State University | 6.25% |
| Brigham Young University | 6.25% |
| Georgia State University | 6.25% |
Best majors for child development instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 14.4% |
| 2 | Human Development | 12.7% |
| 3 | Education | 9.4% |
| 4 | Elementary Education | 8.8% |
| 5 | Early Childhood Education | 8.3% |
Best colleges for child development instructors
The best colleges for child development instructors are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A child development instructor 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 instructors. 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 instructors.
1. Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$48,350
Enrollment
4,103
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
3. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
4. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Enrollment
13,871
6. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Enrollment
34,637
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
20 best online courses for child development instructors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for child development instructors
The most affordable schools for child development instructors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - fullerton.
If the best universities for child development instructors 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 instructors.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
4. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for child development instructors
The hardest universities for child development instructors to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for child development instructors 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 instructors 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. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
9. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for child development instructors
The easiest schools for child development instructors to get into are D'Youville College, holy names university, and the university of texas permian basin.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a child development instructor 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 instructors.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
4. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
6. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
7. College of Mount Saint Vincent
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,021
8. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
9. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
10. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
Average child development instructor salary by education level
| Child development instructor education level | Child development instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $54,053 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $37,022 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $46,258 |
| Doctorate Degree | $52,732 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $38,218 |
Child development instructor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025