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Family Systems

Types of Degrees Family Systems Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Family Systems may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Bachelor’s Degree	322
Master’s Degree	433

What Family Systems Majors Need to Know

Programs in Family Systems emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Family Systems graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Family Systems emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Family Systems program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Family Systems careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Family Systems graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Family Systems professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Database management systems	Data base management system software	—
Social computing tools	Web page creation and editing software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Family Systems graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Home Economics Professor
• Child Development Instructor
• Home Economics Teacher
• Clothing and Textiles Teacher
• Food and Nutrition Instructor
• Adjunct Professor
• Sewing Teacher
• Nutrition Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Dietetics Professor
• Home and Family Living Professor
• Chef Instructor
• College Professor
• Assistant Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Family Systems graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	52.6%
Doctoral degree	27.0%
Bachelor’s degree	9.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.9%
Postsecondary certificate	2.8%
Less than a high school diploma	1.8%
Some college courses	0.5%
Post-doctoral training	0.4%
First professional degree	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Family Systems?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 94.4% of Family Systems degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	722	94.4%
Men	43	5.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Family Systems graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	561	73.3%
Asian	14	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	73	9.5%
Black or African American	64	8.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	1.0%
Two or More Races	16	2.1%
Race Unknown	24	3.1%
International Students	4	0.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Family Systems Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Family Systems graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$33,243
4 years	$38,875
5 years	$44,531

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,531 — roughly 34% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Family Systems Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Family Systems. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	1
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Family Systems Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Family Systems graduates earn a median of $38,875 four years after completion — roughly 2% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	19.07
Adult Development and Aging	19.0702
Child Care and Support Services Management	19.0708
Child Care Provider/Assistant	19.0709
Child Development	19.0706
Developmental Services Worker	19.0710
Early Childhood and Family Studies	19.0711
Family and Community Services	19.0707
Human Development and Family Studies, General	19.0701
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, Other	19.0799
Parent Education Services	19.0712
Apparel and Textiles, General	19.0901

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.