Professional Organizations | Faculty & Staff

Family and consumer sciences education empowers individuals and families across the lifespan to manage the challenges of living and working in a diverse, global society. Our unique focus is on families, work, and their interrelationships.

Family and Consumer Sciences Educators Teach:
• Critical thinking and reasoning skills
• Process skills needed for family, work, and community life
In the areas of:
• Balancing Work and Family
• Parenting
• Child Development
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Lifespan Development
• Consumer and Resource Management
• Life and Career Planning
• Nutrition and Wellness

What audiences do FCS Educators work with?
• Middle school students
• High school students
• Post-secondary students
• Student parents
• Youth-at-Risk
• Adults
• Parents

Where are FCS Educators employed?
• Middle schools
• High schools
• Cooperative Extension Offices
Other employment opportunities include:
• Government Agencies
• Commodity Offices (Dairy Council, Wheat Commission, Poultry & Egg Industry)
• Textbook Companies
• Curriculum Development Centers
• Girls’/Boys’ Club, 4-H offices

How do you become an FCS Educator?
You can earn a bachelor of science degree through the family and consumer sciences education major in the Human Development, Consumer and Family Sciences Department. The department also offers minors in Consumer Affairs and Human Development & Family Studies. Students may also consider an additional teaching endorsement in health education.

Students in this major gain a broad background in all areas of family and consumer sciences and develop skills to achieve their career goals. Courses in consumer education and family resource management are taught within the department. Subject matter knowledge is strengthened through courses offered in the other areas of family and consumer sciences including human development, child and family studies, nutrition, food science, apparel merchandising and interior design.

General university requirements and electives provide emphasis in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Professional course work includes a sophomore observation and practicum experience in a middle school or junior or senior high classroom. Students also spend half-days practicing various teaching models in schools during the junior year. During the senior year, students complete a ten-week student teaching experience.

Preparation for the Major
Students who plan to major in family and consumer sciences education should take classes such as math, science, English composition, family and consumer sciences, and computer technology.

Active involvement in high school and community organizations such as FCCLA, 4-H, and others can also provide valuable preparation for a career in family and consumer sciences.

Professional Organizations
Students in the Human Development, Consumer and Family Sciences Department have the opportunity to participate in organizations to increase their knowledge of the profession and to develop valuable leadership skills.

All students in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences are eligible to become members of the student-member section of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. You also may be selected to membership in Phi Upsilon Omicron, an honorary society for students who have demonstrated leadership and scholastic achievement.

You are encouraged to participate in the Family and Consumer Sciences Exposition each spring. Many other organizations, such as FCCLA Alumni and Collegiate 4-H, are available.

Faculty and Facilities
The faculty members in family and consumer sciences consider teaching exciting and challenging. They have a strong general background in family and consumer sciences and have had direct experience teaching FCS in a middle school/high school setting.

Facilities include classrooms, a laboratory and a resource room which has educational materials for student and faculty use.

SDSU registration information

Program Guide Sheets

Family & Consumer Sciences Education   FCS ED Guide Sheets in Excel