Family and Consumer Sciences

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.

A. 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 494 Academic Internship (2)
FCS 494I Academic Internship Evaluation (1)

B. Consumer Affairs Option (51 units)

1. Option Required Courses (18 units)

ECON 160 Principles of Microeconomics (3)
FCS 323 Family and Individual Money Management (3)
FCS 324 Consumer Rights, Issues and Problems (3)
FCS 420 Critical Issues in Family Resource Management (3)
MKT 304 Marketing Management (3)
MKT 348 Consumer Behavior (3)

2. Select Pattern A or B (see below).

Pattern A: Business (33 units)

Required Courses (15 units)

BLAW 280 Business Law I (3)
BUS 104 Introduction to Business (3)
ENGL 205 Business Communication in Its Rhetorical Contexts (3)
FCS 428 Corporate Consumer Affairs (3)
MGT 360 Management and Organizational Behavior (3)

Business Elective Requirement (3 units)

Select an upper division elective from the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics (3)

Pattern A Electives (15 units)

Select 15 units from upper division Family and Consumer Sciences courses:

FCS 315 Issues in Housing (3)
FCS 322/L Equipment I and Lab (2/1)
FCS 340 Marriage and Family Relations (3)
FCS 357 Apparel and Human Behavior (3)
FCS 422 Family Financial Counseling (3)
FCS 423 Analysis of Family Economics Issues (3)
FCS 424 Resource Management for the Elderly (3)
FCS 426 Issues of Contemporary and Future Families (3)
FCS 427 Consumer Advocacy and Education (3)
FCS 429 Family and Consumer Public Policy (3)

Pattern B: Family Financial Management and Counseling (33 units)

Required Courses (18 units)

Pattern B Electives (15 units)

Select 15 units from upper division Family and Consumer Sciences courses:

FCS 315 Issues in Housing (3)
FCS 322/L Equipment I and Lab (2/1)
FCS 340 Marriage and Family Relations (3)
FCS 357 Apparel and Human Behavior (3)
FCS 426 Issues of Contemporary and Future Families (3)
FCS 427 Consumer Advocacy and Education (3)
FCS 428 Corporate Consumer Affairs (3)
FCS 480 The Helping Professional (3)
FCS 499A-C Independent Study (1-3)

3. General Education (48 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 48 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) graduation requirement.

9 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: FCS 324 satisfies B5 Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning; ECON 160 satisfies 3 units of D1 Social Sciences; and FCS 323 satisfies E Lifelong Learning and fulfills the Information Competence requirement.

If taken, FCS 340 or FCS 357 satisfies 3 units of upper division D1 Social Sciences.

Total Units in the Major/Option: 65

General Education Units: 39

Additional Units: 16

Total Units for the B.S. Degree: 120