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Family, Consumer & Human Sciences

Instructional programs that focus on the human interface with the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual environments and the developmental stages and needs of individuals in the interrelated spheres of family, workplace, and community.

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

People majoring in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3,941
Associate’s Degree	8,973
Bachelor’s Degree	17,407
Master’s Degree	22,242
Doctor’s Degree	247

What Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 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

Skills emphasized by a Family, Consumer & Human Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Family, Consumer & Human Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Family, Consumer & Human Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

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

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training 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 Family, Consumer & Human Sciences graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Lecturer
• Sewing Teacher
• Home Economics Teacher
• College Professor
• Weaving Professor
• Tailoring Teacher
• Chef Instructor
• Dietetics Professor
• Food and Nutrition Professor
• Professor
• Instructor
• Human Development Professor
• Food and Nutrition Teacher
• Family Resource Management Professor

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

Graduates with a degree in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Farm and Home Management Educators	14.0%	$55,950	$47,136–$64,765
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	6.4%	$63,776	$50,229–$77,324
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	5.3%	$53,224	$45,316–$61,133
Teaching Assistants, Special Education	9.5%	$96,801	$75,024–$118,577
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	1.8%	$77,927	$66,306–$89,549
Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education	9.8%	$89,337	$72,651–$106,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	37.2%
Doctoral degree	19.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	13.2%
Bachelor’s degree	13.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%
Postsecondary certificate	3.0%
Some college courses	2.3%
Less than a high school diploma	1.9%
Post-doctoral training	1.6%
First professional degree	0.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 92.1% of Family, Consumer & Human Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	49,469	92.1%
Men	4,215	7.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	23,267	43.3%
Asian	2,818	5.2%
Hispanic or Latino	15,876	29.6%
Black or African American	7,311	13.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	402	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	114	0.2%
Two or More Races	1,752	3.3%
Race Unknown	1,337	2.5%
International Students	807	1.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

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

Federal data tracks median earnings of Family, Consumer & Human 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	$34,755
4 years	$40,959
5 years	$46,946

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $46,946 — roughly 35% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Family, Consumer & Human 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	99	73
Bachelor’s	77	63
Master’s	71	45
Doctoral (Research)	5	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 Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Family, Consumer & Human Sciences graduates earn a median of $40,959 four years after completion — roughly 8% 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.}

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.