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General Family & Consumer Sciences

Types of Degrees General Family & Consumer Sciences Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	168
Bachelor’s Degree	1,716
Master’s Degree	302
Doctor’s Degree	41

What General Family & Consumer Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Family & Consumer Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Family & Consumer Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Family & Consumer Sciences 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 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Family & Consumer Sciences 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
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Family & Consumer Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Family & Consumer Sciences graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Sewing Teacher
• Teacher
• Nutrition Instructor
• Family and Consumer Sciences Professor (FCS Professor)
• Cooking Teacher
• Food and Nutrition Instructor
• University Faculty Member
• Food and Nutrition Professor
• Family Consumer Science Teacher (FCS Teacher)
• Textiles and Clothing Teacher
• College Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Dietetics Professor
• Human Development Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	43.3%
Doctoral degree	21.9%
Bachelor’s degree	21.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	6.3%
Postsecondary certificate	2.2%
Post-master’s certificate	1.5%
Less than a high school diploma	1.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.8%
Some college courses	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Family & Consumer Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 86.3% of General Family & Consumer Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,921	86.3%
Men	306	13.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,110	49.8%
Asian	82	3.7%
Hispanic or Latino	477	21.4%
Black or African American	380	17.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	19	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Two or More Races	83	3.7%
Race Unknown	26	1.2%
International Students	49	2.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Family & Consumer Sciences Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Family & Consumer Sciences graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$34,363
4 years	$41,292
5 years	$47,614

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,614 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Family & Consumer Sciences Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for General Family & Consumer Sciences. 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	2
Bachelor’s	7	5
Master’s	5	6
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{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 General Family & Consumer Sciences Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Family & Consumer Sciences graduates earn a median of $41,292 four years after completion — roughly 9% 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 Economics and Related Studies	19.04
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	19.02
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.