Family & Consumer Sciences Education

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences Education prepares students for rewarding careers in teaching and beyond. The program meets Texas standards for the Family and Consumer Sciences Composite Certificate, qualifying graduates to teach all family and consumer sciences courses offered in Texas secondary schools. Texas has a critical shortage of FCS teachers, and demand remains strong statewide.

Students choose one of two concentrations to align their degree with their career goals: FCS Entrepreneurship or FCS Education.

Concentration Option 1

FCS Entrepreneurship: Students concentrating in FCS Entrepreneurship will earn the Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Certificate, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to create a comprehensive business plan and understand the foundations of building a business in FCS, rooted in ethical decision-making. Students develop core marketing competencies and gain insight into the behind-the-scenes operations of running a business, preparing them to launch a small entrepreneurial venture in a Family and Consumer Sciences industry.

The concentration requires four 3-hour courses (12 hours total), each completed with a grade of C or better:

• HRM 3385: Intro to Sales for the Services Industry
• HRM 3315: Social Media as Omni-Channel Marketing for Hospitality and Retailing
• HRM 4352: Operations Management
• HRM 4355: Entrepreneurship in the Services Industry

Concentration Option 2

FCS Education: The FCS Education concentration prepares students for teaching careers in middle and high school family and consumer sciences, adult and community-based education, Extension Service, curriculum development, and other related fields. The program meets Texas standards for the Family and Consumer Sciences Composite Certificate.

Admission Requirements for the Educator Preparation Program:

• Minimum of 60 semester hours completed with a 2.75 or better overall GPA
• College-level skills in reading, oral and written communication, critical thinking, and mathematics

Requirements for Certification Recommendation:

• 2.75 or better overall GPA
• 2.75 or better GPA in all professional education courses and in the teaching field
• Completed fingerprint background check
• 50 hours of field experience
• Completed clinical student teaching in an accredited Texas school district
• Satisfactory performance on the appropriate TExES examinations
• Students may also take online courses through the Texas Family and Consumer Sciences Distance Education Alliance (www.fcsalliance.org). Permission is required to enroll. While FCS teacher certification coursework can be completed through distance education, face-to-face components are required, including clinical field experiences and student teaching.

All teacher certification programs at Texas Tech University are accredited by the Texas Education Agency.

Employers aggressively recruit teachers from Texas Tech because we are widely recognized as a leader in Family and Consumer Sciences teacher certification. You will get superior preparation for a teaching career, including:

• Specialized faculty. You will take education courses from nationally recognized experts in family and consumer sciences. Our professors specialize in family and consumer sciences education, not general education.
• Hands-on learning. You will gain practical skills in numerous family and consumer science specialties, including food preparation, clothing design, nutrition, sustainability, and financial planning.
• Better clinical student teaching assignments. Our tradition of excellence and strong relationships with school districts allows us to place student teachers in the best classrooms. Some districts will only accept student teachers from Texas Tech.
• Superior teacher certification preparation. Graduates of our family and consumer sciences degree program have an outstanding success rate on teacher certification exams.

You will also have the opportunity to work with authors and researchers from our renowned Curriculum Center for Family and Consumer Sciences, which publishes textbooks and class materials used by family and consumer sciences (formerly known as home economics) teachers nationwide.

Career Paths

Graduates of Texas Tech's Family and Consumer Sciences degree program have a job placement rate of nearly 100 percent. A majority of our students receive job offers before graduating.

The Family and Consumer Sciences degree prepares you for a wide variety of teaching careers and other job opportunities, including:

• Middle school teacher
• High school teacher
• Curriculum developer
• Business educator
• Social services worker
• Extension agent

Additional Certification Options

• The Family and Consumer Sciences Composite Certificate is also available as part of a major in Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS).
• A Specialized FCS Certificate in Hospitality, Nutrition, and Food Sciences is available through majors in Nutrition or Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management.
• Specialized FCS certificates in RHIM, Nutrition, or HDFS can also be obtained through the Bachelor of Science in Human Sciences.

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