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Family & Consumer Economics

Types of Degrees Family & Consumer Economics Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Family & Consumer Economics can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	928
Master’s Degree	231
Doctor’s Degree	6

What Family & Consumer Economics Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 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 & Consumer Economics 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 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Family & Consumer Economics 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.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Family & Consumer Economics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 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 & Consumer Economics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Family & Consumer Economics graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Home Economics Teacher
• Professor
• Food and Nutrition Teacher
• Food and Nutrition Professor
• College Professor
• Nutrition Instructor
• Nutrition Faculty Member
• Instructor
• Home and Family Living Professor
• Chef Instructor
• Family Resource Management Professor
• Dietetics Professor
• Lecturer
• Family Consumer Science Teacher (FCS Teacher)

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	51.4%
Doctoral degree	26.2%
Bachelor’s degree	10.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	6.4%
Postsecondary certificate	2.9%
Less than a high school diploma	1.7%
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 & Consumer Economics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 68.6% of Family & Consumer Economics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	800	68.6%
Men	366	31.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	701	60.1%
Asian	50	4.3%
Hispanic or Latino	195	16.7%
Black or African American	121	10.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.3%
Two or More Races	46	3.9%
Race Unknown	17	1.5%
International Students	25	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Family & Consumer Economics Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Family & Consumer Economics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$41,182
4 years	$45,170
5 years	$51,999

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $51,999 — roughly 26% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Family & Consumer Economics Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Family & Consumer Economics. 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
Bachelor’s	3	2
Master’s	3	2

^{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 & Consumer Economics Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Family & Consumer Economics graduates earn a median of $45,170 four years after completion — roughly 19% 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
Family Consumer Human Sciences	19
Apparel and Textiles	19.09
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	19.02
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General	19.01
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, Other	19.99
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services	19.05
Housing and Human Environments	19.06
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	19.07
Work and Family Studies	19.00
Work and Family Studies	19.10

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.