Family, Consumer & Human Sciences

Types of Degrees Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many family, consumer and human sciences graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	3,139
Graduate Certificate	320
Doctor’s Degree	233

What Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, family, consumer and human sciences majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors

Family, Consumer and Human Sciences majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors

A major in family, consumer and human sciences prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors

As a family, consumer and human sciences major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with family, consumer and human sciences:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Community and Social Service Specialists	13.2%	$42,620
Copy Writers	7.6%	$62,170
Dietetic Technicians	9.3%	$27,140
Dietitians and Nutritionists	14.6%	$60,370
Farm and Home Management Advisors	7.7%	$49,840
Fashion Designers	2.5%	$72,720
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	3.8%	$39,630
Food Service Managers	9.0%	$54,240
Home Economics Professors	8.6%	$71,380
Interior Designers	4.5%	$53,370
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	23.2%	$63,120
Marketing Managers	10.1%	$134,290
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners	10.9%	$49,370
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	10.5%	$29,780
Public Relations Specialists	8.9%	$60,000
Sales Managers	7.5%	$124,220
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320
Social and Human Service Assistants	16.4%	$33,750
Technical Writers	10.9%	$71,850

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences?

This major is dominated by women with about 87% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of family, consumer and human sciences majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	119
Black or African American	359
Hispanic or Latino	328
White	1,895
International Students	184
Other Races/Ethnicities	254

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences. About 5.9% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in family, consumer and human sciences was $43,660 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $40,743 (25th percentile) and $49,475 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to family, consumer and human sciences.

Salaries According to BLS

Family, Consumer and Human Sciences majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $36,190 to $73,090 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Family, Consumer & Human Sciences

Some careers associated with family, consumer and human sciences require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to family, consumer and human sciences have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	6.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	23.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	4.3%
Some College Courses	8.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	9.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	27.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.4%
Master’s Degree	9.9%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.3%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.8%
Doctoral Degree	3.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.0%

Online Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Programs

In 2020-2021, 1,204 schools offered a family, consumer and human sciences program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	523	42
Certificate (2-4 Years)	17	1
Associate’s Degree	789	87
Bachelor’s Degree	96	23
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	311	71
Post-Master’s	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	81	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

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

The median salary for a family, consumer and human sciences grad is $58,960 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 48% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $381,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Family, Consumer & Human Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to family, consumer and human sciences.

Major	Number of Grads
Education	199,724
Psychology	42,013
Social Sciences	22,292
Communication & Journalism	12,242
Library Science	5,929
History	4,391
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies	2,911

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By National Cancer Institute under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.