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Other Family & Consumer Economics

Types of Degrees Other Family & Consumer Economics Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	238
Master’s Degree	3
Doctor’s Degree	5

What Other Family & Consumer Economics Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Other Family & Consumer Economics 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

Skills developed in a Other 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 / 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

Abilities most relevant to Other 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 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Other Family & Consumer Economics 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 Other Family & Consumer Economics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Social computing tools	Web page creation and editing software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search 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 Other Family & Consumer Economics graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Professor
• Nutrition Faculty Member
• Home Economics Professor
• College Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Food and Nutrition Instructor
• Family and Consumer Sciences Professor (FCS Professor)
• Associate Professor
• Home and Family Living Professor
• Home Economics Teacher
• Chef Instructor
• Nutrition Program Instructor
• Food and Nutrition Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Other 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	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 Other Family & Consumer Economics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 80.5% of Other Family & Consumer Economics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	198	80.5%
Men	48	19.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	159	64.6%
Asian	14	5.7%
Hispanic or Latino	27	11.0%
Black or African American	28	11.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	8	3.3%
Race Unknown	3	1.2%
International Students	6	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Family & Consumer Economics Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Other Family & Consumer Economics 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	$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 Other Family & Consumer Economics Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Other 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	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 Other Family & Consumer Economics Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Other 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 and Consumer Economics and Related Studies	19.04
Consumer Economics	19.0402
Consumer Services and Advocacy	19.0403
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.