2025 Best Online Master's Degrees in Child Development

Walden is a great school for those who are already able to proficiently use technology. I have had very few issues with the school, but I am also able to find the resources to answer my questions, understand my assignments and how to use their website, and keep all of my assignments organized. I have all of my classes registered for me by my academic advisor, so I have never had to worry about missing deadlines. At the beginning of my registration all the way until now, my academic advisor has been... Read More friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive. I really enjoy this school. I would say, however, that online learning is a strength of mine and for someone who needs more support, this school may feel less supportive. A lot the work, financial aid, finding materials, contacting resources, is done by you, not the school.

Capella has been great! The staff is easily available and accessible. The variety in the format of the programs offered at Capella give students options that can really adjust to their lifestyles. In some programs students are allowed to choose a standard program or an accelerated program based on how fast they can work through it all by proving their competency through assessments. The College of Psychology is very supportive of their students and try to accommodate all situations. Highly recommended!... Read More

You may have seen the commercials about Southern New Hampshire all over your TV screen, I know I have. I was automatically intrigued about the fact that they offer graduate courses/ programs online and they are also accredited by New England Association of Schools and Colleges. For people who are busy working, taking care of their family, or are immobile, getting a degree online is not only convenient but it allows an individual to pursue their dreams without an restrictions. Getting my degree online,... Read More definitely allowed me to work while trying to further my career. There were many perks on attending Southern New Hampshire i.e. having a helpful and insightful advisor, having the ability to communicate with classmates on blackboard, and overall convince. Though are some pros to attending SNHU. I quickly learned that were a lot of cons. For some employers getting a degree online may me frowned upon due to the misconception that you don't learn much from doing a degree online compared to being in a classroom. Employers may hire someone who did not attend college online compared to a student that did. Another con is limited resources/opportunities. I got a master in psychology at SNHU, hoping for earning potential as well as, eventually preparing me to pursue the route of going to get my PHD. In my case, getting a degree from SNHU did not help me in these areas because they did not have a thesis/non thesis option they also did not have provide opportunities or information for students to do a publication, manuscript, and poster which are very important especially when trying to pursue a PHD. It is very important to know the type of opportunities SNHU degree can provide before obtaining one. Lastly, SNHU career advising can be useful and other times not so much. Some of the career advisors did not understand the application process for PHD programs and were unable to provide insight. When it came to exploring employment options they were able to help me explore my areas of interest.Overall, SNHU id a good school but I would recommend that anyone interested in applying should evaluate their goals and see if a online degree from SNHU can be of assistance.

I am currently enrolled in my second class towards a Masters in Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology. I have to say I am extremely impressed with the quality of instructor. My current professor has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University and works as a psychologist at Columbia. She has been phenomenal and responds quickly if you have questions/concerns. I have never had an adviser call to simply check up on me to see how I was doing in my undergrad. Prepare to have it done... Read More if you attend SNHU. My adviser calls me two to three times in one term to see how my classes are and to see if I needed anything. Simply doing this makes me feel I picked the right college. I have also recruited people from my job, and they have also told me of the amazing professors they have had. I say if you are thinking of coming to SNHU, just do it.

Walden University's (online) Master's Clinical Psychology Degree Program was an okay experience. Most of the work was writing samples and case studies. I did enjoy being able to talk to other classmates around the world in a discussion type of environment but I didn't feel as though they helped with internship placement and advising for your future. Tuition was extremely high but books were included. So, you didn't have to run around searching for your materials and they were shipped directly to... Read More your home. The professors where very knowledgeable in their field but it was hard to generalize the material into "real-world" experiences. Walden online taught me how to keep an organized schedule and helped me with my researching skills.

I started in the General Psych program then switched to Industrial/Organizational Psych. There are a lot of unnecessary classes (which may not be unique just to this school; I'm not sure) and it feels ridiculous to pay tuition to take such courses that are meant simply to "teach" good study habits or get accustomed to posting in online environments. Really basic, unnecessary stuff. Plus there were other courses that were deemed mandatory even though they were only introductory and had no follow-up... Read More (such as Research Methods - all the various psychological tests out there, how they work, what they measure, etc., which is great information but could have been included as a sub-matter in another class. The entire course was simply for us to pick one of these tests and study it in-depth, then continuously report on it for the entire 12 weeks. Such a thing is not going to help me in a career since it was way too generic, yet way too focused at the same time). However, many teachers really did engage students and encourage discussion beyond "Great post! I agree!" but at times it really did feel like I wasn't in a real competitive environment, in the sense that witnessing extremely poor grammar, syntax, etc. in others' discussion postings (especially from those who were purported to be at the end of their program) made me wonder how they ever got accepted in the first place at a Master's level (well, other than being willing to shell out $$). I do feel I learned a lot, and there was enough variety, such as group projects, and videos of case studies to watch and learn from. I did hit a snag with my final thesis in that I e-mailed repeatedly for status updates and the entire delay pushed me into another quarter, but after filing an appeal I was refunded the entire price.

I have found NC State's M.A. Liberal Studies program to be the perfect fit for my life. I am interested in a career in Child Life, supporting hospitalized children. Unfortunately, there are no related degree programs in my immediate area, and relocation wasn't a realistic option for me. The MALS program allowed me to design my own degree plan which will include all of the relevant coursework of a traditional Child Life program, as well as some diverse additions (like Interpersonal Communication in... Read More Science/Tech Organizations and Professional Ethics & Family Policy) that will be applicable to me in a healthcare setting. I will also be able to receive academic credit (and essential real-world experience) by taking a supervised professional experience course. I can't say enough about NC State's MALS program. Not only has it provided the flexibility to pursue an advanced degree while working full time, but it has also helped me gain confidence in managing college-level coursework after being out of the classroom for almost ten years. Most importantly, it's helped me find my passion and chart a realistic path for getting there.