Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Family and Human Development
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“What makes anyone interested in this field more prepared is simply getting experience working with humans. Any experience someone can get supporting other people, whether in a paid or volunteer capacity, is great preparation for this career.”
Tasha Randall, PhD, Assistant Professor of Teaching and Human Services Internship Coordinator, Oregon State University
Family and human development is a field that explores how people change and develop throughout their lives, specifically within schools, communities, and families. This field consists of topics such as relationships and marriages, parenthood, and adolescent and child development. An online bachelor’s degree in family and human development provides graduates with a solid foundation in such topics and prepares them for related careers. An undergraduate bachelor’s degree is generally sufficient for taking up roles such as crisis counselors, social and human service assistants, child care center managers, and other similar careers.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2024) states that the overall employment in community and social service occupations is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations between 2023 and 2033. It projects an average of 299,400 openings each year in these occupations. PayScale (2025) notes that those with bachelor’s degrees in human development and family studies earn an average base salary of $58,000.
Online bachelor’s degree programs usually offer maximum flexibility for working professionals compared to solely in-person or even hybrid options. These programs typically have the same curriculum as on-campus programs, leading to similar opportunities. Online formats are also ideal for individuals with additional commitments such as family, work, or child care.
The minimum credit requirement for online standard bachelor’s degree programs in human development and family studies is 120 credits, and full-time students usually complete their program within four years.
Some online degrees in family and human development may allow students to focus on a niche area of the field. Specialization options may include child development, family science, and adult development and aging.
Meet the Expert: Tasha Randall, PhD
Dr. Tasha Randall is an assistant professor of teaching at Oregon State University, where she also serves as the human services internship coordinator.
In her role guiding future human services professionals, Professor Randall collaborates with community partners to place students where their academic and career goals will be best supported. Getting to know students on an individual basis forms an important and meaningful part of this process.
Dr. Randall’s academic interests include service and experiential learning, active learning, and inclusive learning environments.
CounselingSchools.com: What’s the biggest issue facing the human services field at this time?
Dr. Randall: The main issue is not enough people entering this career field, so the need outweighs the supply of human service professionals. As our social service funding is cut, and there is less of a safety net for people who need help meeting their basic needs, there will be more individuals and families who need support from a human service professional.
Many agencies that hire these professionals have limited funding and high caseloads, which means that staff members are asked to serve a lot of clients and do not make a very high salary. Since this work can be emotionally draining, the added stress of a large caseload and a salary which may not be adequate to cover the high cost of living in many places makes this career field especially challenging. Fortunately, it is generally very rewarding work!
CounselingSchools.com: What experiences would you suggest aspiring human services professionals have prior to pursuing a degree in human development and family science?
Dr. Randall: What makes anyone interested in this field more prepared is simply getting experience working with humans. Any experience someone can get supporting other people, whether in a paid or volunteer capacity, is great preparation for this career.
Working with humans of any age or capacity, in any setting, will help you gain skills that can be applied to working with different humans in another setting. That is one of the great things about this field! The work is extremely varied, and the skills you develop will be valuable even if you choose to work with a different age group or in a completely different type of program.
Typical Admissions Requirements for Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Family and Human Development
Admissions requirements for online bachelor’s programs in family and human development vary from college to college. Generally, those interested in enrolling in an online bachelor’s degree in this field may need to submit any or all of the following to the program they wish to join:
- Official transcripts demonstrating the completion of any post-secondary coursework
- Official high school transcripts demonstrating GPA and completion of a satisfactory number of years of coursework (e.g., four years of English, three years of math, two years of history, etc.)
- Letter(s) of recommendation
- A statement of purpose or admissions essay
- Complete an interview
- SAT/ACT scores
- Application fee
Courses in Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Family and Human Development
Courses in online bachelor’s programs in family and human development may vary widely from program to program, especially if a program offers a concentration, emphasis, or specialization. The following list is an example of coursework a potential family and human development undergraduate may have the chance to study:
- Community Relationships
- Death and Grief
- Diversity
- Family Studies
- Health and Wellness
- Lifespan Development
- Resolving human development and family problems
- Adult development and aging
- Developmental psychology lifespan
- Family science
- Infant and child development
- Children and families across cultures
- Social Science Research
- Social Services
- Family Dynamics
- Development and Interpersonal Relationships
Courses in Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Family and Human Development
Courses in online bachelor’s programs in family and human development may vary widely from program to program, especially if a program offers a concentration, emphasis, or specialization. The following list is an example of coursework a potential family and human development undergraduate may have the chance to study:
- Community Relationships
- Death and Grief
- Diversity
- Family Studies
- Health and Wellness
- Lifespan Development
- Resolving human development and family problems
- Adult development and aging
- Developmental psychology lifespan
- Family science
- Infant and child development
- Children and families across cultures
- Social Science Research
- Social Services
- Family Dynamics
- Development and Interpersonal Relationships
Program Accreditation for Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Family and Human Development
Accreditation is a voluntary process through which colleges and universities demonstrate that their program has met certain standards of practicality and quality. This process is important for students, employers, and for licensure. For students, it assures that the college or university offers useful and relevant programs from quality faculty members.
Graduating from accredited programs is often a requirement to apply for master’s or doctoral programs. Employers are more likely to hire individuals who have graduated from accredited programs rather than those who have not, and some may explicitly require that graduated complete an accredited program. Finally, many licensure boards require graduation from accredited programs to earn a professional license. Those who did not will have to prove equivalencies.
Prospective students at the bachelor’s level should look for institutional accreditation. This type of accreditation happens at the regional and/or national level, and applies to the entire university. The Department of Education (DOE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) are umbrella organizations for the wide range of organizations accrediting at this scale.
Featured Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Family and Human Development
Oregon State University’s College of Health offers an online bachelor of science program in human development and family studies. It provides students with practical skills, current knowledge, and opportunities for hands-on learning helping them excel in fields that are dedicated to improving the lives of families and individuals. Students will learn from faculty members who recognize the importance of ethical practices promoting social justice, empowerment, and human dignity.
The program comprises 180 credits and includes courses in adult development and aging; families and poverty; children and youth with disabilities; family, school, and community collaborations; family violence and neglect; family studies; human sexuality; parenting research and application; and infant and child development.
- Location: Corvallis, OR
- Accreditation: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU); Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
Arizona State University’s School of Social and Family Dynamics offers an online bachelor of science program in family and human development that combines traditional liberal arts education with a focus on both the practice and theory of family studies and human development. This means that students can develop abilities and knowledge that are applicable to their personal lives as well as a wide variety of career paths and positions.
The program explores the theoretical, academic, and historical frameworks used to explain family behavior and human development and also examines marriage, family relationships, cultural diversity, and more. Moreover, the program’s curriculum emphasizes the well-being of youth, adults, and children, both individually and in a family context.
Notably, this bachelor’s degree is designated as a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE)-approved program by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). This designation allows students who complete the required coursework to fast-track their applications for becoming certified family life educators (CFLE) without taking the CFLE exam.
Comprising 120 credits, the program includes courses such as careers in family and human development, modern family relationships, family ethnic and cultural diversity, human development, personal growth and relationships, infant and toddler development in the family, and childhood disorders and family functioning.
Graduates will be ready to take up roles such as family and consumer sciences professors, advocates, government programs specialists, guidance counselors, human resources specialists, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, preschool teachers, social services directors, and social workers.
- Location: Tempe, AZ
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
Maryville University’s online bachelor of arts degree in human development and family studies explores people’s and families’ social, physical, cognitive, and emotional development across the lifespan. To help students maximize their effectiveness in this field, Maryville offers five ways to tailor their education to their goals. These include an optional 30-credit child life specialist concentration and four developmental tracks. These tracks include early childhood development, youth development, family life education, and adult development and aging.
This family studies and human development program is structured to align with standards set by the Child Development Council, National Council on Family Relations, Child and Youth Care Certification Board, and the Association of Child Life Professionals. Graduates will be prepared for future certification assessments such as Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) and Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS).
Made up of 128 credits, the program includes courses such as introduction to human development and family studies, human development through the lifespan, family violence through the lifespan, human sexuality, infant and toddler development, and counseling skills for healthcare professionals.
Graduates will be able to take up roles such as certified child life specialists, certified family life educators, mental health or behavioral counselors, substance abuse counselors, community service managers, and medical and health services managers.
- Location: St. Louis, MO
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
Students in Pennsylvania State University’s online bachelor of science program in human development and family studies learn how an individual develops from birth to old age, how communities and families influence these processes, and how to apply this knowledge with interventions that improve people’s lives through hands-on coursework.
Comprising 120 credits, the program includes courses such as introduction to human development and family studies, values and ethics in health and human development professions, human development and family studies interventions, empirical inquiry in human development, family relationships, adolescent development, infant and child development, and resolving human development and family problems. Students must also complete an internship alongside their online coursework.
Students in this program will study how family relationships, social institutions, peers, income, cultural background, government policies, and religion all affect the development of an individual and how interventions in these settings can reduce problems and facilitate growth in development. They will also investigate ethical, legal, and moral issues they will face as professionals and learn to evaluate alternative approaches to promote optimal development.
Graduates will be ready to take up positions such as child development teachers, family resource coordinators, child welfare workers, social services assistants, elder care assistants, and youth services specialists, among others.
- Location: University Park, PA
- Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
Through field experience and coursework focused on family and individual development across the lifespan, students in Colorado State University’s online bachelor of science program in human development and family studies explores how people change and develop and how community, society, and family affect human development.
This program allows students to specialize in one or two of the five available concentration options. These include early childhood professions, pre-health professions, leadership and advocacy, human development and family studies, and prevention and intervention sciences. Notably, students in this program will participate in a hands-on work experience in a setting closely aligned with their career plan and chosen concentration.
Consisting of 120 credits, the program includes courses such as individual and family development, professional skills development, infant and child development in context, adult development, middle age and aging, family and parenthood across the life cycle, lifespan intervention and prevention science, couple and family studies, risk and resilience across the lifespan, and applied research methods, among others.
- Location: Fort Collins, CO
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
Leading the way in child life education, the University of Alabama offers an online bachelor of science program in human development and family studies with a concentration in child life, preparing students to become experts in the development and growth of both hospitalized and healthy children. Upon completion, graduates may sit for the Child Life Professional Certification Examination.
The University of Alabama is one of the few universities in the United States with PhD faculty in child life. Made up of 120 credits, the program includes courses such as infant/toddlerhood; adolescence; parent and family development; program evaluation; medical terminology; introduction to child life; play in child development; cultural influences on children, youth, and families; hospitalized children and youth; and loss and bereavement. Toward the end of coursework, graduates will be ready to apply and compete for child life internships.
- Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
American Public University offers an online bachelor of arts program in human development and family studies that examines human interaction and emphasizes how people are affected by their environments and how they impact others. Classes in this program prepare students to become certified family life educators, certified child life specialists, or the child development associate credential.
Made up of 120 credits, the program includes courses such as marriage and the family; family life education; family resource management; adult development; child life theory and practice; death, dying, and grief; introduction to child development; infant-toddler development; introduction to the American family; and human sexuality.
- Location: Charles Town, WV
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
Kansas State University offers an online bachelor’s degree in human development and family science, allowing students to integrate real-world experiences and classroom knowledge to achieve a sophisticated understanding of how relationships, families, and individuals function and develop across the life course.
Students can tailor their degree to fit their career goals by selecting a certificate, minor, internship, or area of concentration. Upon graduation, they will be ready to improve the lives of families and individuals by enhancing their psychosocial, relational, and socio-emotional health and wellbeing.
The program consists of 120 credits and includes courses such as early childhood, introduction to human development, introduction to human sexuality, interpersonal and family relationships, introduction to research methods in human development and family science, family policy, adolescent and emerging adult development, program development and implementation, and family violence across the life.
- Location: Manhattan, KS
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
The University of Arkansas offers an online bachelor of science program in human development and family sciences, preparing students for human services careers that assist families and individuals of all ages. Graduates will gain skills and knowledge that they can use to help others cope with crises or help them plan better lives. The program also concentrates on lifespan development in diverse contexts and provides coursework that will help students identify and understand complex social issues so that they can respond with resources and actions that foster positive change.
Comprising 120 credits, the program includes courses such as child development, family financial management, introduction to cultural competence, adolescent development, families in crisis, parenting and family dynamics, adult development, multicultural families, public policy advocacy for children and families, and family relations.
Graduates will learn how to appreciate and accept the diversity of families and individuals, and they will understand how external and internal crises, culture, social issues, race, gender, and socioeconomics impact people’s lives. They will be prepared to pursue careers in public service fields such as counseling, alcohol and drug treatment, community education, youth corrections, family crisis centers, employee assistance, hospice care, disaster response assistance, and child welfare.
- Location: Fayetteville, AR
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
Approved by the National Council on Family Relations, New Mexico State University’s online bachelor of science program in human development and family science prepares students for professional work with community and social agencies that serve families and individuals and other programs serving families and children. Upon completion, graduates can apply to become certified family life educators.
Made up of 120 credits, the program includes courses such as interpersonal skills in intimate relationships, adolescent development and the family, adult development and aging, family resource management, parenting and child guidance, and family ethnicities and subcultures, among others.
Graduates will be prepared for a career in various settings, including family life education, childcare, therapy, human services agencies, and more.
- Location: Las Cruces, NM
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Expected Time to Completion: Four years
What Can I Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in Family and Human Development?
A bachelor’s degree in family and human development prepares graduates for work in various settings with a broad range of families and individuals. No matter what specialization, the curriculum of these programs is designed to provide graduates with foundational knowledge about child, adolescent, and adult development as well as interpersonal connections. This approach provides a foundation for careers in schools, nonprofit agencies, human services organizations, community centers, and hospitals.
While some may pursue graduate degrees in social work, marriage and family therapy, education, or guidance counseling, others may begin their careers by working in the community. They typically go on to pursue occupations in human and social services. This includes career paths such as social and community service managers, social workers, probation officers, and health educators.
The following are examples of some positions that someone with an earned bachelor’s in family and human development can pursue following graduation with career outlooks and salaries from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024)—the latest data available as of April 2025.
Become a Social Worker
Social workers help families, individuals, and groups prevent and cope with problems in their daily lives. Clinical social workers treat and diagnose mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. Examples of social workers include child and family social workers, school social workers, healthcare social workers, and mental health and substance abuse social workers.
Social workers may engage in work functions like identifying communities and people in need of help, helping clients adjust to challenges and changes in their lives, such as divorce, unemployment, or illness, responding to crises such as mental health emergencies and child abuse, and providing psychotherapy services.
According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics (2024), demand for this profession is anticipated to grow 7 percent between 2023 and 2033—much faster than the national average for all professions (4 percent)—adding 54,700 jobs to the market. The median annual wage for social workers in May 2024 was $61,330.
Become a Social and Community Service Manager
Social and community service managers supervise and coordinate social service agencies and community groups, directing workers who provide these services to the public.
They work for several organizations. Some organizations focus on working with a particular demographic, such as people who are homeless, children, veterans, or older adults. Others focus on helping people with particular challenges, such as mental health needs, chronic hunger, and substance abuse. Social and community service managers typically need only a bachelor’s degree and applicable work experience to qualify for jobs.
According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics (2024), demand for this profession is anticipated to grow 8 percent between 2023 and 2033—much faster than the national average for all professions (4 percent)—adding 16,400 jobs to the market. The median annual wage for social and community service managers in May 2024 was $78,240.
Become a Health Education Specialist
By teaching people about behaviors that promote wellness, health education specialists develop strategies for improving the well-being of communities and individuals. Also known as health educators and community health workers, their main role is to educate people about the availability of healthcare services.
According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics (2024), demand for this profession is anticipated to grow 7 percent between 2023 and 2033—much faster than the national average for all professions (4 percent)—adding 4,300 jobs to the market. The median annual wage for social and community service managers in May 2024 was $78,240.
Become a Social and Human Service Assistant
Social and human service assistants provide client services including support for families in various fields like rehabilitation, social work, and psychology. These professionals assist other workers, such as social workers, and help clients find benefits or community services. Social and human service assistants have several job titles, such as clinical social work aide, case work aide, social work assistant, family service assistant, human service worker, and addictions counselor assistant.
According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics (2024), demand for this profession is anticipated to grow 8 percent between 2023 and 2033—much faster than the national average for all professions (4 percent)—adding 34,400 jobs to the market. The median annual wage for social and human service assistants in May 2024 was $45,120.
Cevia Yellin
WriterCevia Yellin is a freelance writer based in Eugene, Oregon. She studied English and French literature as an undergraduate. After serving two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer, she earned her master of arts in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Cevia’s travels and experiences working with students of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds have contributed to her interest in the forces that shape identity. She grew up on the edge of Philadelphia, where her mom still lives in her childhood home.
Farheen Gani
WriterFarheen Gani has researched degree programs and salaries in counseling since 2020. She has written about topics such as genetic counselor salaries and family and human development bachelor’s degrees. She writes about healthcare, technology, education, and marketing. Her work has appeared on websites such as Tech in Asia and Foundr, as well as top SaaS blogs such as Zapier and InVision. You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter (@FarheenGani).