Child development is a vital field for helping children progress through key developmental milestones.1 Without child development careers, there would be no teachers, therapists or coaches to help children with their mental, physical and emotional progress.
A degree in child development opens doors to various professions that stem from an underlying desire to help children reach their greatest potential. From hands-on child development careers to those focused on research, a degree in this field can allow you to pursue a number of avenues.2, 3 The demand for child development professionals continues to grow: Speech pathology is expected to see 18% growth in employment between 2023-2033, while social workers can expect a 7% growth rate. This ensures a growing need for those who pursue child development careers.2, 3
What is Child Development as a Career?
Child development refers to the stages from birth to adulthood.1 It encompasses a range of skills, from walking to talking to playing with others.
As a career path, child development focuses on the emotional, mental and physical development of children and helps children work through barriers to their development.4 There are generally three main fields for child development major jobs:
- Early childhood education
- Child psychology
- Social work
Armed with these majors, students can pursue an advanced degree in child development, such as speech-language pathology (SLP), physical therapy or occupational therapy.
The job settings and environments for a child development career can be as varied as the areas of child development.5, 6 Some child development professionals may work in a school, hospital or clinic. Others may offer in-home care.
What Can You Do with a Child Development Degree?
There is immense versatility when you pursue a major in child development. As a social science that seeks to understand normal child development as well as atypical development, child development leads to several career paths.7
With a child development degree, you can pursue a career in education, helping children develop as a general education teacher or as a teacher for children with special needs.4 A degree also lends itself to those pursuing child development careers in therapy, specifically therapists who focus on children’s needs.2
However, it’s important to remember that a child development degree, in many cases, is only a stepping stone to a higher-level degree. Some child development careers may only be an option if you pursue higher education and a graduate degree, such as a Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) or Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT).8, 9 The degree level that you earn may impact opportunities for finding jobs with your child development degree. For instance, with social work, the degree choice may impact your ability to follow the non-clinical (bachelor’s) or clinical (master’s) path.
There are many career opportunities for those with a child development degree, but it’s important to understand what your ideal career is to determine what degree is ultimately needed.
Top 3 Child Development Careers
The following is a list of careers in child development you can get with a child development degree, along with job descriptions, average annual salaries and education requirements.
Social Worker
- Average Annual Salary: $61,3303
- Education Requirements: Bachelor’s degree (non-clinical) or master’s degree (clinical)
Social workers help children and their families cope with problems from everyday life, such as illness, adoption, divorce, unemployment or addiction.3 Social workers may also refer their clients to other resources. In the case of emergency situations, such as abuse or neglect, they may intervene.
The clinical path for social workers allows them to diagnose and treat behavioral, mental and emotional disorders.3
Speech Pathologist
- Average Annual Salary: $95,4102
- Education Requirements: Master’s degree
Speech pathologists diagnose and treat communication and swallowing disorders. Their treatments consist of individualized plans that consider each client’s unique challenges to strengthen their speech muscles and improve their vocabulary. Individuals who pursue child development careers in speech pathology can be influential for neurodiverse children, such as those with ADHD or autism.10, 11
Communication and swallowing disorders can be caused by physical, cognitive or social problems, so speech pathologists may also work with psychologists, physicians or surgeons to address a client’s needs.
Physical Therapist
- Average Annual Salary: $101,0208
- Education Requirements: Doctorate
Physical therapists help their clients relieve pain, move better and strengthen weakened muscles through exercise, massage and treatments centered on physical stimuli.8 Within child development major jobs, the role of the physical therapist is to help children reach development milestones by improving their mobility and reducing pain that may result from certain conditions.
Physical therapists can help improve children’s gross motor skills, fine motor skills, balance, coordination, strength, endurance and sensory processing.12
What Are the Benefits of Studying Child Development?
There are many benefits to those interested in jobs with a child development degree.
Make An Impact
Child development careers often allow you to create meaningful change in children’s lives as what happens in a child’s early years is significant for their developmental trajectory.13 Whether you’re helping a child learn how to communicate or strengthening their gross motor skills so that they can play with other children, your impact can influence the rest of the child’s life.
Growing Field
Child development major jobs are a steadily expanding field, as there will always be children who need help.2 This area sees significant growth, making it easier for you to find a job. Speech pathology has a projected job growth rate of 18%, between 2023-2033, while physical therapists expect 14% growth during the same timeframe. 2, 8
Various Opportunities
There is growth potential with a child development career since the field is constantly evolving. Jobs with a child development degree can often expand into education, healthcare and research, highlighting how your career can grow and evolve.
Start Your Career in Child Development
Child development is a field with numerous possibilities. Roles from preschool teachers to social workers to occupational therapists make up the list of careers in child development because these roles focus on helping children progress through developmental milestones. Given the opportunities within child development, those who want to make a difference in children’s lives should explore the possible career pathways to find their best fit.
Are you interested in a career where you can support child development? At the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS), we offer hands-on learning experiences in our graduate healthcare programs that equip future healthcare professionals with the skills to make a meaningful impact in children’s lives.
Salary data may not reflect starting pay for recent graduates.
Sources
- Beltre, G., & Mendez, M. D. “Child Development,” Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing, 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564386/.
- “Speech-Language Pathologists,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/speech-language-pathologists.htm
- “Social Workers,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm.
- “What Preschool Teachers Do,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/preschool-teachers.htm#tab-2
- “Work Environment,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/preschool-teachers.htm#tab-3.
- “Work Environment,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm#tab-3
- “Top 10 Rewarding Careers With a Child Development Degree,” Early Learning Indiana, August 17, 2023, https://earlylearningin.org/10-rewarding-child-development-careers/.
- “Physical Therapists,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm.
- “Occupational Therapists,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-therapists.htm
- Murray, D. and Richard, G., “Autism and speech therapy Learn how speech-language pathologists can help,” Autism Speaks, 2025, https://www.autismspeaks.org/science-blog/autism-and-speech-therapy.
- “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),” Asha.org, 2025, https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/adhd/?srsltid=AfmBOoo7vbVE0mUew10ZgiKzXeheIRI1B77bYkVI8HBgbmTLpIQCN1cV.
- Srushti Sudhir, C., & Sharath, H. V. “A Brief Overview of Recent Pediatric Physical Therapy Practices and Their Importance,” Cureus, 2023: 15(10), https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.47863.
- Likhar, A., Baghel, P., & Patil, M. “Early Childhood Development and Social Determinants,” Cureus, 2022, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.29500.
