Family & Consumer Economics

Types of Degrees Family & Consumer Economics Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	205
Graduate Certificate	33
Doctor’s Degree	13

What Family & Consumer Economics Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to consumer economics 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 Consumer Economics Majors

Consumer Economics majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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.
• 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.
• Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Skills for Consumer Economics Majors

When studying consumer economics, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Abilities for Consumer Economics Majors

As a consumer economics 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.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Family & Consumer Economics Major?

People with a consumer economics degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Farm and Home Management Advisors	7.7%	$49,840

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Family & Consumer Economics?

This major is dominated by women with about 75% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of consumer economics majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	7
Black or African American	25
Hispanic or Latino	30
White	113
International Students	6
Other Races/Ethnicities	24

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Consumer Economics, too. About 2.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Vietnam
• Japan
• Canada

How Much Do Family & Consumer Economics Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that family and consumer economics students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $40,368 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $39,813 (25th percentile) and $46,058 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to consumer economics so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to consumer economics is $52,700. This median refers to 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 Economics

Some degrees associated with consumer economics may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 consumer economics have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	24.1%
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.	3.5%
Master’s Degree	58.6%
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.	6.9%
Doctoral Degree	6.9%

Online Family & Consumer Economics Programs

In 2020-2021, 32 schools offered a consumer economics 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	3	1
Bachelor’s Degree	6	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	10	2
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Family & Consumer Economics Worth It?

The median salary for a consumer economics grad is $52,700 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 32% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $256,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Family & Consumer Economics

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to consumer economics.

Major	Number of Grads
Human Development & Family Studies	1,589
Food, Nutrition & Related Services	1,214
General Family & Consumer Sciences	368
Textile & Apparel Studies	150
Human Sciences Business Services	58
Housing	54
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences (Other)	8

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.