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Housing & Human Environments

Types of Degrees Housing & Human Environments Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Housing & Human Environments have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	117
Master’s Degree	60
Doctor’s Degree	9

What Housing & Human Environments Majors Need to Know

Studies in Housing & Human Environments emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Housing & Human Environments graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Housing & Human Environments 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 emphasized by a Housing & Human Environments 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 Housing & Human Environments 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, Housing & Human Environments 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 Housing & Human Environments professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Housing & Human Environments graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Family and Consumer Sciences Professor (FCS Professor)
• Child Development Instructor
• Instructor
• Food and Nutrition Teacher
• Home Economics Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Sewing Teacher
• Tailoring Teacher
• Professor
• Dietetics Professor
• Textiles and Clothing Teacher
• Home and Family Living Professor
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Housing & Human Environments 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 Housing & Human Environments?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.9% of Housing & Human Environments degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	130	69.9%
Men	56	30.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Housing & Human Environments graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	131	70.4%
Asian	9	4.8%
Hispanic or Latino	8	4.3%
Black or African American	17	9.1%
Two or More Races	10	5.4%
Race Unknown	2	1.1%
International Students	9	4.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Housing & Human Environments Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Housing & Human Environments 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	$39,937
4 years	$53,705
5 years	$60,675

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $60,675 — roughly 52% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Housing & Human Environments Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Housing & Human Environments. 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
Master’s	2	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 Housing & Human Environments Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Housing & Human Environments graduates earn a median of $53,705 four years after completion — roughly 41% 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
Housing and Human Environments	19.06
Facilities Planning and Management	19.0604
Home Furnishings and Equipment Installers	19.0605
Housing and Human Environments, Other	19.0699
Apparel and Textiles, General	19.0901
Business Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences	19.0201
Child Development	19.0706
Consumer Economics	19.0402
Consumer Services and Advocacy	19.0403
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Services, Other	19.0499
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General	19.0101
Family Resource Management Studies, General	19.0401

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.