Family and Consumer Sciences encompasses the study of the relationships among people and their personal environments. The Department focuses on the impact of the physical, biological, social and economic environments on human behavior and development. Students who major in Family and Consumer Sciences learn to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities by providing practical solutions to problems involving food science and nutrition, apparel and interior design, child rearing and family relations, and family and consumer economics.

Students select from six areas of study: Apparel Design and Merchandising; Consumer Affairs; Family and Consumer Sciences Education; Family Studies; Interior Design; and Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science. All Family and Consumer Sciences majors take five Core courses that include concepts common to all Specializations, as well as courses in their Options. The Department offers experiential learning opportunities through its lab and studio courses and the Child and Family Studies Laboratory, the Consumer Resource Center and the Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics. All Family and Consumer Sciences majors gain practical experience through internships in professional settings. Students gain leadership skills through the Student Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Kappa Omicron Nu national honor society.

Core Courses Required of all Options (14 Units)

FCS 170 Creative Expression in Family and Consumer Sciences (2)
FCS 232 Individual and Family Development (3)
FCS 320 Family Resource Management (3)
FCS 380 Family and Consumer Sciences Foundations and Research (3)
FCS 491A/B or C Family and Consumer Sciences Projects (3)
or FCS 494/494I Academic Internship and Activity (2/1)

Family Studies Option

1. Required Option Courses (22 Units)

FCS 330 Child Growth and Development I (3)
FCS 340 Marriage and Family Relations (3)
FCS 431/L Child and Family Assessment and Lab (3/1)
FCS 432 Family Theories (3)
FCS 436 Parental Development (3)
or CADV 451 Alternative Approaches to Discipline (3)
FCS 480 The Helping Professional (3)
PSY 150 Introduction to Psychology (3)

2. Patterns : Select Pattern A or B

Pattern A: Childcare and Administration (21 units)

FCS 234 The Child in the Family and Community (3)
FCS 335 Prenatal and Infant Development (3)
FCS 433 Administration of Children’s Programs (3)
FCS 533 Advanced Topics in Administration of Children’s Programs (3)
FCS 534 Supervision of Child Development Personnel (3)

Choose two of the following courses (6 units)

AAS 450 Asian American Child and the Schools (3)
AFRS 420 The Black Child (3)
ART 383/L Art in Early Childhood and Lab (2/1)
CADV 452 Child Advocacy (3)
CD 361 Language Development in Children (3)
CHS 416 Children’s Songs and Games (3)
CHS 430 The Chicana/o Child (3)
ENGL 428 Children’s Literature (3)
MUS 362/L Music for Early Childhood and Lab (3)
RTM 305 Dynamics of Early Childhood Play (3)
RTM 405 Play and the Exceptional Child (3)
SOC 328 The Child and Society (3)
SPED 400 Developmental Differences and Implications in Special Education (3)

Pattern B: Family Services Pattern (21 units)

FCS 300 Family and Community Services (3)
FCS 426 Issues of Contemporary and Future Families (3)
FCS 438 Adolescents in the Family Context (3)
FCS 441 Human Sexuality (3)
FCS 485 Family Resiliency (3)

Choose 6 units of Upper Division courses related to major with FCS advisor approval (suggested courses follow):

FCS 309 Maternal, Infant and Child Nutrition (3)
FCS 323 Family and Individual Money Management (3)
FCS 420 Critical Issues in Family Resource Management (3)
FCS 424 Resource Management for the Elderly (3)
FCS 427 Consumer Advocacy and Education (3)
or CADV 452 Child Advocacy (3)
FCS 495A-C Directed Undergraduate Research (1-3)
FCS 543 Intergenerational Caregiving (3)

General Education (48 units)

Students majoring in FCS generally may not count FCS courses for GE. However, FCS majors may count FCS 340 in Lifelong Learning. Majors in Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science and FCS Education Options may count BIO 101/L in Natural Sciences. Any courses outside the FCS Department that are listed in GE and also required or selected in the student’s FCS option may be counted toward meeting GE requirements. For example, CHEM 103/L is required in several FCS Options and also will count in GE Natural Sciences.

Total Units in the Core and Option: 54-57

Total Units for the B.S. Degree: 120