What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services is tracked across 43 U.S. postsecondary institutions in the College Scorecard field-of-study file, which links CIP code classifications from IPEDS to Treasury earnings records. This profile covers the doctoral credential level specifically, because the Department of Education reports program-level outcomes separately for associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards. The CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) taxonomy lets analysts roll up specialties into broader families, which is why earnings medians across schools can be compared on a common basis.
Across all reporting institutions, the mean of school-level medians is $51,875, calculated from 2 schools with published earnings data. The top-reporting institution in this program is Capella University at $61,218. These numbers reflect earnings measured roughly a year after completion, using Social Security Administration tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants.
Variation across schools matters more than a single national figure. Completers counts reported per school indicate how many graduates’ earnings feed the median, which means small programs produce more volatile numbers. Median debt at the program level, when paired with earnings, yields a debt-to-earnings ratio that is the College Scorecard’s standard affordability signal — ratios under 1.0 indicate earnings exceed cumulative debt. Use the school-by-school table to spot institutions where Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services graduates out-earn peers at comparable cost, and to surface gainful-employment patterns that only become visible at the CIP-code level.
Capella University accounts for 50.0% of all Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services doctoral credential graduates
That concentration — well above the 5% national median for largest-entity share — means Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. That school produced 12 graduates in the most recent cohort, anchoring a meaningful slice of national supply for this field. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services operates only 43 institutions offer this program — among the most consolidated governance structures in the country
Most Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services institutions offer this program are specialty-program scarcity that concentrates national supply in a small set of institutions — graduates often command stronger employer attention because the talent pool is structurally narrower. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across larger populations, but it can also mask intra-institutions offer this program inequities — sub-institutions offer this program differences within a single institutions offer this program are not visible at this aggregation level. Consolidated systems typically rely more heavily on top-down funding formulas than on local revenue variability.
How much do Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services graduates earn? ▼
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services graduates earn $51,875 on average across 43 schools.
Which school pays the most for Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services? ▼
Capella University has the highest reported median earnings for Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services graduates at $61,218, based on College Scorecard data.
What credential do you get in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services? ▼
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services programs typically award a Doctoral credential. Earnings vary by school and credential level.
Top Schools for Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
Closest schools offering this program — compare earnings side by side
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Median earnings represent graduates who received federal financial aid, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid applicants. Completers count and debt figures reflect program-level data reported through IPEDS. Data is updated annually.