Item saved to your backpack!

Like most postsecondary teachers, child development professors are expected to do it all: teach courses on child psychology and cognitive processes, grade papers, supervise graduate research projects, and publish their own papers and research. It's a lot to ask, but it's also a truly rewarding position for someone who's passionate about child development.

Child development professor salaries

It can be a variable market out there for postsecondary teachers in general, but most make more than the national average for all professions. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the average national salary for professors was $72,140 in 2009, with the highest 10 percent of earners making $117,480.

According to Salary.com, the numbers are slightly higher, with psychology professors, in particular, making an average of $85,117. The top earners in the field are making $232,393, although they could be supplementing their salaries with writing, consulting jobs or research.

Where you decide to teach also makes a difference. According to a 2008-2009 survey by the American Association of University Professors, full-time faculty salaries averaged $92,257 in private universities, $77,009 in public universities and $71,857 in religiously affiliated schools. Those working at four-year institutions earned higher salaries than those at two-year junior colleges.

According to the BLS, the states paying the highest average salaries to child development professors included:

• Delaware $87,660
• New York $86,120
• California $85,510

These high-paying states also offer a higher cost of living, according to ACCRA's cost-of-living index, but based on 2009 home price indexes from the US Census Bureau, the cost of living relative to salaries is decent in these areas. If you're narrowing your search to metropolitan areas, the top paying cities with the best cost of living index according to Kiplinger are:

• Wilmington, Del.
• Rochester, N.Y.
• Eugene, Ore.

Child development professor schools, training and beyond

Anyone interested in becoming a child development professor should be ready to devote some serious time to the endeavor--you'll need at least a master's degree, and preferably a PhD. Child development professor training is available online for those looking to work toward a higher degree, and often schools are looking for people with distance learning experience to help shape their own online curriculum.

Outlook for child development and psychology careers

The BLS forecasts that the job market for postsecondary teachers will grow by 15 percent through 2018. Competition for tenure-track positions is highly competitive as schools turn to the lower cost option of adjunct professors and part-time lecturers.

The BLS also expects a growth in enrollment and a large number of retiring professors over the next decade. Child development professors who can't get a full-time teaching position right away may be able to use their expertise at secondary schools, in research hospitals, and even with private clients.

For related news and career outlooks from Schools.com, see:

• Chronicle of Higher Education examines the digital campus
• Study finds high standards of support at DeVry University
• Industrial/organizational psychology professor salary & career outlook
• Five paths to a career-focused college education