Mount Saint Mary's University Human Development and Family Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
  • Private nonprofit university
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • About 16 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Mount Saint Mary's University human development and family studies graduates earn less than graduates of most human development and family studies programs nationally, $28,453 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several California programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,45315th percentile of 143 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$52,28584% more than year one
Median federal debt$26,50013th lowest of 14 California programs
Debt-to-earnings93%California median 54%, national 73%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all human development and family studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.

Five years out, Mount Saint Mary's University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California human development and family studies program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Mount Saint Mary's UniversityOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 84% between the first and fifth year.

Mount Saint Mary's University grads, year 1$28,453
Mount Saint Mary's University grads, year 5$52,285
All California human development and family studies grads, year 5$50,980

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $281 a month, or 11.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (25 of 27) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $28,453 salary here buys what about $25,054 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to human development and family studies, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Childcare Workers

$40,020

Median pay in California. 52,780 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 150,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $35,340Top 10%: $52,670

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

$47,400

Median pay in California. 55,700 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $37,870Top 10%: $65,350

Social and Human Service Assistants

$51,090

Median pay in California. 58,730 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 48,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $39,040Top 10%: $74,250

Farm and Home Management Educators

$98,770

Median pay in California. 40 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $56,400Top 10%: $108,770

About Mount Saint Mary's University

Human Development and Family Studies ranks 8th of 10 bachelor's programs at Mount Saint Mary's University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($99,457), Pre-Health Studies ($93,238), and Accounting ($60,763).

Other human development and family studies bachelor's programs near Los Angeles

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,453 one year after graduating and $52,285 five years after. The median across human development and family studies bachelor's programs in California is $31,904.

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
  • Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
  • Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
  • Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
  • Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
  • School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the human development and family studies program.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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