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Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Major

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Family, Consumer & Human Sciences

$58,960 Median Salary

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

The following table lists how many family, consumer and human sciences graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 22,702
Basic Certificate 15,672
Associate Degree 9,787
Undergraduate Certificate 3,967
Master’s Degree 3,139
Graduate Certificate 320
Doctor’s Degree 233

What Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to family, consumer and 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 and Human Sciences majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • 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

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to family, consumer and human sciences:

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  • 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 a family, consumer and human sciences major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

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  • 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?

People with a family, consumer and human sciences degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Childcare Workers 6.9% $23,240
Community and Social Service Specialists 13.2% $42,620
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 7.7% $26,860
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
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 9.3% $32,450
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 3.8% $39,630
Food Service Managers 9.0% $54,240
Home Economics Professors 8.6% $71,380
Interior Designers 4.5% $53,370
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists 23.2% $63,120
Marketing Managers 10.1% $134,290
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners 10.9% $49,370
Nannies 6.9% $23,240
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education 10.5% $29,780
Public Relations Specialists 8.9% $60,000
Sales Managers 7.5% $124,220
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 7.5% $60,320
Social and Human Service Assistants 16.4% $33,750
Technical Writers 10.9% $71,850

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

22,702 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
88% Percent Women
39% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major is dominated by women with about 88% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 1,225
Black or African American 2,637
Hispanic or Latino 3,906
White 12,806
International Students 539
Other Races/Ethnicities 1,589

Geographic Diversity

Family, Consumer & Human Sciences appeals to people across the globe. About 2.4% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that family, consumer and human sciences students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree made a median starting salary of $30,413 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $27,819 (25th percentile) and $34,056 (75th percentile).

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It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to family, consumer and human sciences.

Salaries According to BLS

Family, Consumer and Human Sciences majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $36,190 to $73,090 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Major  ( 36190 to 73090 )
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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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Some degrees associated with family, consumer and 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 and human sciences have obtained the following education levels.

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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

In 2020-2021, 1,204 schools offered a family, consumer and human sciences program of some type. 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) 523 42
Certificate (2-4 Years) 17 1
Associate’s Degree 789 87
Bachelor’s Degree 96 23
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 311 71
Post-Master’s 12 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 81 2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Worth It?

The median salary for a family, consumer and human sciences grad is $58,960 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 48% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $381,200 after 20 years!

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

Major Number of Grads
Education 327,871
Social Sciences 205,984
Psychology 195,678
Communication & Journalism 120,571
History 32,731
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 16,243
Library Science 6,538

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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