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Business, Family & Consumer Sciences

Types of Degrees Business, Family & Consumer Sciences Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Business, Family & Consumer Sciences have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	314
Master’s Degree	49
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Business, Family & Consumer Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Business, Family & Consumer Sciences 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 built by a Business, Family & Consumer Sciences 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

Innate abilities most relevant to Business, 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 4.6 / 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, Business, 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
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 Business, Family & Consumer Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Database management systems	Data base management system software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Business, Family & Consumer Sciences graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Home and Family Living Professor
• Chef Instructor
• Home Economics Teacher
• Home Economics Professor
• Textiles and Clothing Teacher
• Tailoring Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Nutrition Program Instructor
• Nutrition Instructor
• Dietetics Professor
• Associate Professor
• College Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Business, 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	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 Business, Family & Consumer Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 77.6% of Business, Family & Consumer Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	284	77.6%
Men	82	22.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	223	60.9%
Asian	15	4.1%
Hispanic or Latino	75	20.5%
Black or African American	22	6.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	13	3.6%
Race Unknown	4	1.1%
International Students	12	3.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Business, Family & Consumer Sciences Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Business, Family & Consumer Sciences 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	$42,391
4 years	$54,186
5 years	$63,925

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $63,925 — roughly 51% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Business, Family & Consumer Sciences Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Business, Family & Consumer Sciences graduates earn a median of $54,186 four years after completion — roughly 43% 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 Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	19.02
Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management	19.0203
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services, Other	19.0299
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Communication	19.0202
Apparel and Textiles, General	19.0901
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
Family Systems	19.0704

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.