Best Online Child Development Programs

Appalachian offers an online bachelor of science in child development - birth through kindergarten for students interested in working with young children. This program serves as a degree completion pathway. Graduates can pursue work as preschool teachers, kindergarten teachers, and daycare directors.

Students earning their bachelor's in child development complete 63 credits at Appalachian. Participants take 6-8 credits per semester and graduate in four years. Each enrollee must also complete a clinical internship through one semester of student teaching. Instructors deliver courses through a blend of asynchronous and synchronous formats.

Transfer applicants must submit college transcripts, and they can access an online transfer equivalency course search tool to make sure their previous credits will count. Appalachian is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

EWU offers an online bachelor's degree in children's studies that provides an interdisciplinary perspective on child development. The curriculum combines coursework from the disciplines of education, psychology, geography, and social work. This program prepares graduates for careers as adoption counselors, after school program directors, juvenile justice workers, and child life specialists.

This online bachelor's degree requires 60-70 major credits, along with general education credits. Core courses include research methods for studying children and childhood, children and the family, the geography of childhood, and child and adolescent development.

Each applicant must hold a high school diploma or GED certificate. In addition, learners must have taken two years of foreign language in high school or one year of foreign language in college. EWU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

PLNU's hybrid bachelor of arts in child development provides students with an understanding of developmental and cognitive processes in children from birth through adolescence. This is a degree completion program designed for students who already possess an associate degree or some college coursework.

This child development degree requires 120 credits and can be completed in 15 months. Core courses include adolescent development in the family context, child and adolescent nutrition and health, development of infants and toddlers, and writing for child development professionals. At least 36 credits must be completed through PLNU.

Applicants must have completed at least 40 credits of college-level coursework with a minimum 2.75 GPA. PLNU is regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

The online bachelor's in early childhood development and learning program at CMU prepares students for careers in early childhood settings, such as preschools, childcare centers, and Head Start programs. This program meets the Michigan Department of Education's coursework requirements for early childhood education and teaching.

This online bachelor's degree in child development requires 43 major credits, along with general education and university requirements. Core courses include lifespan development, infant and toddler development, and developmental assessment of children. Each enrollee must complete an infant and toddler practicum, as well as a teaching capstone. Participants must maintain a minimum 2.7 GPA to graduate.

Each candidate must be enrolled in or have completed prerequisite courses for the major and possess a minimum 2.0 GPA to gain admission. CMU is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

UNF features an bachelor of arts in early childhood education with a concentration in early childhood development. Much of this concentration is available online. This program prepares learners to become educators who specialize in working with preK-6 children.

Core courses include educational psychology, family-school partnerships, measure and evaluation of young children, and foundations of literacy. Students also complete a six-credit practicum, which can be carried out at a variety of locations.

First-year applicants must submit high school transcripts and SAT or ACT scores. Transfer students with at least 30 college credits need not submit standardized test scores, although they must have a minimum 2.0 GPA. UNF is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

FPU offers an online bachelor of arts in early childhood development to individuals who want to work with children from birth through eighth grade in a professional care or educational setting. This program serves as a degree completion pathway. Instructors deliver coursework entirely online in a cohort structure. Each cohort of 12-24 students progresses through coursework together.

Students pursuing their bachelor's in child development complete 39 credits of major coursework. Core courses include advanced child growth and development, children's play and learning theory, and curriculum development of early childhood education.

Applicants must have completed at least 60 credits of bachelor coursework with a minimum 2.4 GPA for admission. FPU is regionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

K-State's online bachelor's degree in early childhood education prepares students to work in early education settings as administrators or teachers. Graduates can also apply for the early childhood unified teaching licensure in Kansas.

This online bachelor's degree in child development requires 120 credits and takes four years to complete. Core courses include family relationships and gender roles, exceptional development in early childhood, language development, and reflective practice. Enrollees can complete field experiences at accredited schools near their homes. Out-of-state students pay higher tuition rates.

First-year applicants must submit high school transcripts showing a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and SAT or ACT scores. Transfer students can bring in up to 60 credits earned with a minimum 2.0 GPA. K-State is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

CSP offers an online bachelor of arts in child development for those who want to work in the early education field. Instructors deliver courses entirely online through seven-week terms.

This BA degree requires 42 credits of major coursework, in addition to general education and university requirements. Core courses include child social and emotional growth, infants and toddlers, children's play and learning, and ethics in early childhood.

This program accepts candidates who already hold an associate degree from an accredited institution, as well as first-year students. First-year applicants must submit high school transcripts, and transfer applicants must possess a minimum 2.0 college GPA. Ninety-five percent of CSP graduates receive job offers within one year of graduation. CSP is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

WSU offers an online bachelor of arts in human development with optional certificates in early childhood education and gerontology. Graduates are eligible to work in many settings, including Head Start programs, childcare centers and preschools, social service agencies, and the YMCA.

This degree requires 120 credits, including 42 major credits, and can be completed in four years. Of the 42 major credits, at least 21 must be taken through WSU. To obtain a certificate in early childhood education, students must take classes like parent-child relationships, child development, guidance in early childhood programs, and curriculum for early childhood programs. Students must maintain a minimum 2.6 GPA in major and certificate courses to graduate.

Out-of-state distance learners pay slightly more per credit than in-state students. WSU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

SNHU offers an online bachelor of arts in psychology with a concentration in child and adolescent development. During this program, students study how children develop and grow from birth through adolescence. Participants also learn how to meet the needs of children in a variety of education and childcare settings.

The curriculum requires 120 credits, including 24 major credits and 12 concentration credits. Participants can graduate in four years. Core courses in the concentration cover topics like lifespan development, disorders of childhood and adolescence, child development, and adolescent development.

Applicants must submit their transcripts, although SAT/ACT scores are not required. There is no set GPA minimum for admission but higher GPAs will qualify students for scholarship options. SNHU is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.