Family, Consumer & Human Sciences

Types of Degrees Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many family, consumer & human sciences graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	18,875
Basic Certificate	16,483
Associate Degree	8,930
Undergraduate Certificate	3,951
Master’s Degree	3,059
Graduate Certificate	370
Doctor’s Degree	258

What Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to family, consumer & human sciences and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors

Family, Consumer & Human Sciences majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors

family, consumer & human sciences majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors

As you progress with your family, consumer & human sciences degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with family, consumer & human sciences:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Copy Writers	7.6%	$62,170
Dietetic Technicians	9.3%	$27,140
Dietitians and Nutritionists	14.6%	$60,370
Farm and Home Management Advisors	7.7%	$49,840
Fashion Designers	2.5%	$72,720
Food Service Managers	9.0%	$54,240
Marketing Managers	10.1%	$134,290
Sales Managers	7.5%	$124,220

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences?

The major attracts more women than men. About 88% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of family, consumer & human sciences majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,004
Black or African American	2,124
Hispanic or Latino	3,580
White	10,571
International Students	315
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,281

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences. About 1.7% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Family, Consumer & Human Sciences

Some degrees associated with family, consumer & human sciences may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to family, consumer & human sciences have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	6.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	23.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	4.3%
Some College Courses	8.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	9.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	27.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.4%
Master’s Degree	9.9%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.3%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.8%
Doctoral Degree	3.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.0%

Online Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1,040	104
Certificate (2-4 Years)	28	0
Associate’s Degree	1,604	188
Bachelor’s Degree	214	74
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	592	126
Post-Master’s	26	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	150	8
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Family, Consumer & Human Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to family, consumer & human sciences.

Major	Number of Grads
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities	511,953
Social Sciences	190,792
Communication & Journalism	109,432
English Language & Literature	50,299
History	31,255
Foreign Languages & Linguistics	29,738
Theology & Religious Vocations	26,672
Philosophy & Religious Studies	19,301
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies	15,254

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By National Cancer Institute under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.