Family, Consumer & Human Sciences
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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 2018-2019 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 3,322 |
Graduate Certificate | 310 |
Doctor’s Degree | 285 |
What Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to family, consumer and human sciences were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
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
The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to family, consumer and human sciences:

- 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
Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a family, consumer and human sciences student include the following:

- 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?
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 | 116 |
Black or African American | 443 |
Hispanic or Latino | 329 |
White | 1,976 |
International Students | 204 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 254 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Family, Consumer & Human Sciences, too. About 6.1% of those with this major are international students.
How Much Do Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Majors Make?
Master’s Degree Starting Salary
The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a master’s degree in family, consumer and human sciences made a median starting salary of $41,500 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $38,350 (25th percentile) and $45,875 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a family, consumer and human sciences degree.
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $36,190 to $73,090 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to family, consumer and human sciences. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.
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. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
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 the 2018-2019 academic year, 1,237 schools offered some type of family, consumer and human sciences program. 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) | 820 | 128 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 535 | 56 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 16 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 774 | 87 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 81 | 24 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 820 | 128 |
Master’s Degree | 315 | 85 |
Post-Master’s | 10 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 83 | 4 |
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!

Top Ranking Lists for Family, Consumer & Human Sciences
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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 | 187,512 |
Psychology | 38,863 |
Social Sciences | 22,817 |
Communication & Journalism | 11,707 |
Library Science | 5,644 |
History | 4,418 |
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 2,550 |
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.
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