College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 167 colleges (167 of 167 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$29,467

Graduates only, early career.$30,207 two years out.

Median federal debt

$23,014

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.78×

78% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services report early-career pay between $28,036 and $31,607 — a spread of $3,571 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $28,036 median $29,467 75th pct $31,607

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 15 colleges $18,508 $1,287 0.07×

Associate's 69 colleges $22,958 $16,642 0.74×

Bachelor's 167 colleges $29,467 $23,014 0.78×

Master's 32 colleges $42,509 $37,500 0.87×

Grad cert. 3 colleges $41,649 $55,913 1.34×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

University of the District of Columbia DC $50,832 $51,085 debt

Hope International University CA $40,466 $22,073 debt

California State University-East Bay CA $39,638 $17,516 debt

Howard University DC $39,518 —

Goodwin University CT $37,361 $21,833 debt

Warner Pacific University OR $37,301 $29,688 debt

Warner Pacific University Professional and Graduate Studies OR $37,301 $29,688 debt

Pacific Oaks College CA $37,256 $25,125 debt

Stephen F Austin State University TX $36,350 —

Concordia University Ann Arbor MI $35,587 —

Concordia University-Wisconsin WI $35,587 —

Tufts University MA $35,452 $16,170 debt

Oklahoma State University-Main Campus OK $35,429 $21,515 debt

North Dakota State University-Main Campus ND $34,734 $22,775 debt

Washington State University WA $34,566 $22,978 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard