Best Online Bachelor’s in Child Development Degree Programs for 2023

Published: Jun 22, 2021
Updated: Sep 9, 2023

An online bachelor’s in child development degree program allows graduates to pursue careers in areas such as early childhood education, Montessori, or even crisis intervention.

Key Takeaways

An online bachelor’s in child development is a strong credential that gets you hired in various industries.
There will be a high demand for individuals capable of working with children at all stages of their development.
Several educational settings offer entry-level employment opportunities to online bachelor’s in child development graduates.

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Child Development Degree Programs

University of Arizona
University of Alabama
Western Michigan University
University of Memphis
Northern Arizona University
Appalachian State University
University of Southern Mississippi
Western Kentucky University
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater
Southern New Hampshire University

Western Kentucky University 98%
Eastern Kentucky University 98%
University of Southern Mississippi 96%
University of Memphis 95%
Southern New Hampshire University 92%
Maryville University 92%
University of Arizona 87%
Muskingum University 86%
Appalachian State University 85%
Western Michigan University 83%

California State University, East Bay 26 to 1
Southeastern Oklahoma State University 24 to 1
Northern Arizona University 22 to 1
Southern New Hampshire University 21 to 1
University of Alabama 20 to 1
Southeast Missouri State University 19 to 1
Western Kentucky University 19 to 1
California Baptist University 19 to 1
Western Michigan University 18 to 1
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater 18 to 1

Vanguard University $37,700
California Baptist University $37,018
Bay Path University $35,781
Muskingum University $30,090
Maryville University $27,166
Southern Wesleyan University $26,498
Union Institute & University $17,141
Southern New Hampshire University $15,380
Bacone College $14,700
Western Michigan University $13,334

Bay Path University $19,235
Southern New Hampshire University $18,900
Western Michigan University $16,884
Union Institute & University $15,911
Maryville University $14,346
California Baptist University $13,590
Southern Wesleyan University $13,560
Vanguard University $12,276
Western Kentucky University $12,140
University of Arizona $12,106

Vanguard University
Southern Wesleyan University
Charter Oak State College
University of West Alabama
Bay Path University
Maryville University
Bacone College
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Chadron State College
Muskingum University

Bacone College 55%
Southern Wesleyan University 57%
California Baptist University 64%
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater 68%
Vanguard University 69%
Southeastern Oklahoma State University 74%
University of West Alabama 74%
Bay Path University 75%
Northern Arizona University 78%
Southeast Missouri State University 79%

Union Institute & University 7 to 1
Bay Path University 12 to 1
Bacone College 12 to 1
Muskingum University 13 to 1
Maryville University 13 to 1
Charter Oak State College 13 to 1
Southern Wesleyan University 13 to 1
University of West Alabama 14 to 1
Eastern Kentucky University 15 to 1
University of Arizona 15 to 1

Appalachian State University $4,242
Chadron State College $5,208
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater $5,417
California State University, East Bay $5,742
Southeastern Oklahoma State University $6,420
Southeast Missouri State University $7,461
Charter Oak State College $7,656
University of Memphis $8,352
University of Southern Mississippi $9,094
University of West Alabama $9,100

Chadron State College $4,650
Southeastern Oklahoma State University $4,734
Appalachian State University $4,839
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater $5,611
Southeast Missouri State University $5,858
University of West Alabama $6,678
California State University, East Bay $7,176
University of Southern Mississippi $9,094
Charter Oak State College $9,288
University of Memphis $9,378

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Child development is one of the most important fields of study. After all, the kids are the future leaders and members of society. It makes total sense to ensure that their progress is monitored and supported.

Supporting children’s progress starts with understanding how they develop and learn. Providers can set achievable, appropriate learning goals for children if they understand the sequence in which knowledge or skills are developed.

The online bachelor’s in child development degree program and its core courses are designed for students who want to study how children change from birth to adolescence physically and psychologically.

As children grow and mature, child development professionals play an important role, helping to nurture their minds and bodies as they become young adults. Through expert guidance during these formative years, children can prepare for life’s challenges.

Fortunately, many colleges and universities now offer online bachelor’s in child development, sometimes as a degree completion program.

An online bachelor’s degree in child development provides students with exposure to liberal arts and sciences while introducing them to theories, research data, and methodologies.

Career Outlook for Graduates with Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Child Development

A career in child development could lead to a variety of employment opportunities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for childcare workers will grow by 6 percent between 2021 and 2031.

Besides working as a childcare worker or child life specialist, a career in education may be an option to explore. Education is one of the top industries in 2023.

Employment of preschool teachers and elementary school teachers is projected to show a 4 percent growth in the next decade.

Students typically pursue online bachelor’s degrees in child development because they seek a career in which they can have an impact on children’s lives. So if your dream is to have a career that involves family and human development, an online bachelor’s in child development degree can help you to achieve your goals.

Frequently Asked Questions About Child Development Degrees

Earning a bachelor’s degree in child development can help set you on your path toward a fulfilling and meaningful career.

This four-year, 120-credit degree will cover topics such as child development, adolescent psychology, and counseling ethics. Additionally, most online and in-person programs offer a variety of concentrations, allowing students to focus their learning around their future career goals.

Concentrations include early childhood education, Montessori education, and crisis intervention. Depending on their track, students can earn either a bachelor of science or a bachelor of arts degree.

Upon graduation, students may be ready for careers as social workers, youth counselors, or pre-school educators.

Best Online Bachelor's in Child Development Degree Programs

How do we determine the best online child development bachelor's degree programs?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

25 Best Online Bachelor’s in Child Development Degree Programs

Online Child Development Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

Best Online Bachelor’s in Child Development Degree Programs for 2023

Key Takeaways

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Child Development Degree Programs

Featured Programs

Career Outlook for Graduates with Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Child Development

Frequently Asked Questions About Child Development Degrees

Why get a bachelor’s in child development?

What will I learn while getting a bachelor’s in child development?

What concentrations can I choose from when getting a bachelor’s in child development?

What can I do with a bachelor’s in child development?

25 Best Online Bachelor’s in Child Development Degree Programs

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Online Child Development Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from an online college course?+

Is online college easier than campus-based college?+

Why does accreditation matter in online college?+

Will I be able to transfer my online college degree?+

Will employers respect my online degree?+

What are the disadvantages of online classes?+

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Resources for Online College-Bound Students