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Developmental psychologist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a developmental psychologist. Developmental psychologists usually study psychology, clinical psychology, or experimental psychology. 56% of developmental psychologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 39% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 18 real developmental psychologist resumes to see exactly what developmental psychologist education sections show.
The most common colleges for developmental psychologists are the Eastern Michigan University and the Eastern Michigan University.
There are also many online developmental psychologist courses to help get the education required to be a developmental psychologist.
What education do you need to become a developmental psychologist?
What degree do you need to be a developmental psychologist?
- Bachelor's, 56%
- Master's, 39%
- Doctorate, 6%
What should I major in to become a developmental psychologist?
- Psychology, 65%
- Clinical Psychology, 18%
- Spanish Language, 6%
- Other Majors, 5%
Most common colleges for developmental psychologists
| Developmental psychologist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Eastern Michigan University | 18.18% |
| Bryn Mawr College | 9.09% |
| University of Wisconsin - Parkside | 9.09% |
| Emory University | 9.09% |
| Louisiana Tech University | 9.09% |
Best majors for developmental psychologists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 64.7% |
| 2 | Clinical Psychology | 17.6% |
| 3 | Experimental Psychology | 5.9% |
| 4 | Spanish Language | 5.9% |
| 5 | English | 5.9% |
Best colleges for developmental psychologists
The best colleges for developmental psychologists are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.
A developmental psychologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for developmental psychologists. 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 developmental psychologists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
3. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
9. University of California - San Diego
La Jolla, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,167
Enrollment
30,279
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for developmental psychologists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for developmental psychologists
The most affordable schools for developmental psychologists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for developmental psychologists 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 developmental psychologists.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
10. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for developmental psychologists
The hardest universities for developmental psychologists to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for developmental psychologists 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 developmental psychologists 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for developmental psychologists
The easiest schools for developmental psychologists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a developmental psychologist 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 developmental psychologists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
8. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
9. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
10. Rochester University
Rochester Hills, MI • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,002
Average developmental psychologist salary by education level
| Developmental psychologist education level | Developmental psychologist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $80,902 |
| Doctorate Degree | $102,064 |
Developmental psychologist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025