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Consumer Services & Advocacy

Types of Degrees Consumer Services & Advocacy Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Consumer Services & Advocacy have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	23
Master’s Degree	17

What Consumer Services & Advocacy Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Consumer Services & Advocacy develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Consumer Services & Advocacy graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Consumer Services & Advocacy 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 emphasized by a Consumer Services & Advocacy 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

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Consumer Services & Advocacy 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 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Consumer Services & Advocacy 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 Consumer Services & Advocacy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Consumer Services & Advocacy graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Instructor
• Professor
• Lecturer
• Sewing Teacher
• Clothing and Textiles Teacher
• Home Economics Professor
• Family and Consumer Sciences Professor (FCS Professor)
• Weaving Professor
• Nutrition Program Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Dietetics Professor
• Food and Nutrition Professor
• Family Resource Management Professor
• Nutrition Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Consumer Services & Advocacy 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 Consumer Services & Advocacy?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65% of Consumer Services & Advocacy degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	26	65.0%
Men	14	35.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	28	70.0%
Hispanic or Latino	6	15.0%
Black or African American	3	7.5%
Two or More Races	2	5.0%
Race Unknown	1	2.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Consumer Services & Advocacy Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Consumer Services & Advocacy 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.}

Is a Degree in Consumer Services & Advocacy Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Consumer Services & Advocacy 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 and Consumer Economics and Related Studies	19.04
Consumer Economics	19.0402
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Services, Other	19.0499
Family Resource Management Studies, General	19.0401
Apparel and Textiles, General	19.0901
Business Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences	19.0201
Child Development	19.0706
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General	19.0101
Family Systems	19.0704
Housing and Human Environments, General	19.0601
Adult Development and Aging	19.0702

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.