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Home›Majors›Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 81 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$31,837 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$31,837Median year-4 earnings
$8,830Average institution net-price context
$11,161Median federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$31,837Typical earnings four years after completion
$33,182Average earnings five years after completion
$11,161Typical federal student debt
11thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
2,126Degrees awarded in 2024–25
70College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 58 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services

How much do Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?

The national median is $31,837 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $11,161. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $27,231 to $34,471 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 11 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

CURRENT VIEW

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$31,837
Federal debt
$11,161
Programs in the comparison
81
70 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$35,276
Federal debt
$16,793
Programs in the comparison
96
93 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$46,954
Federal debt
$25,585
Programs in the comparison
185
174 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$71,428
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$59,496
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
27
27 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$59,118
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$54,464
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$27,231National median$31,83775th percentile$34,471
70 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$34,47175th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$11,161Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Ferris State University

$59,890 four years after completionBig Rapids, MI · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Santa Ana College

$6,630 among completer borrowersSanta Ana, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

American Public University System

217 reported awards in 2024–25Charles Town, WV · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$47,306Observed year-4 earnings$31,807
$3,133Annual college-wide average net price$15,843
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Ferris State University$59,8902Kent State University at Kent$50,9183Merritt College$47,3064Northwood Technical College$40,5675Arapahoe Community College$39,7366Western Kentucky University$38,9627Palm Beach State College$38,5618Wake Technical Community College$38,0039Milwaukee Area Technical College$37,58110Moreno Valley College$37,085

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$75,870 median wage2,770 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$47,830–$130,790 typical wage rangeFarm and Home Management Educators$60,220 median wage8,220 jobs nationwide-3.2% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$37,650–$85,060 typical wage rangePsychologists, All Other$110,840 median wage18,820 jobs nationwide+2.3% projected growth through 2035 · 3,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$54,990–$168,520 typical wage rangeCommunity and Social Service Specialists, All Other$56,730 median wage107,730 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 11,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$37,310–$84,210 typical wage rangeChildcare Workers$34,980 median wage518,910 jobs nationwide-2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 150,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$24,260–$46,010 typical wage rangePreschool Teachers, Except Special Education$38,140 median wage478,780 jobs nationwide+4.5% projected growth through 2035 · 66,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$28,990–$61,390 typical wage rangeSocial Scientists and Related Workers, All Other$101,110 median wage37,100 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 2,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$66,120–$160,300 typical wage rangeSocial and Human Service Assistants$45,930 median wage437,860 jobs nationwide+7.4% projected growth through 2035 · 48,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$34,200–$63,290 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwideTeaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special EducationUnreported jobs nationwideTeaching Assistants, Special EducationUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

CA17 programs$32,838 average earningsVA7 programs$30,284 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.