Big Demand for FCS Grads
11/15/2006 - Article taken from College of Professional Studies Newsletter
Today’s Family and Consumer Sciences major is a natural evolution from your grandmother’s home economics studies, with a variety of career options open. “All the recent stats I’ve seen point to a very good placement with our graduates,” noted Marsha Larson, HPHD associate lecturer, “especially with the grads going into teaching.”
A Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction report shows the demand for
Family and Consumer Sciences teachers will only increase in the near future,
with more than 20% of FCS teachers now age 56 and older. “FCS teachers are
retiring at higher rates than in almost any other teacher discipline,” said
Marty Loy, HPHD head. “I receive frequent calls from schools seeking
candidates and from teachers in other disciplines who need emergency
certification to teach FCS.”
A shift in focus in FCS came about with the changing role of women in
American Society. “The profession moved from technical homemaking skills to
broader family and social issues,” said Kelley Ritter, HPHD assistant
professor. “Family and Consumer Sciences was widely agreed upon as best
depicting this cultural shift.”
Today’s FCS studies address critical issues of family communication, parenting and child development, work-family balance, nutrition and personal finance management.
The latest HPHD report cites 52% of graduates entering teaching and 48% choosing family life professions. Graduates of the teacher certification option can teach in middle, junior high, or senior high school, a technical institution or community college. The FCS major can opt for community-based, non-formal settings such as a social service agency or child care program.
“We focus on critical thinking, problem solving, work of the family and practical reasoning,” Kelley added, “all within a broad discipline approach.” It’s a discipline built on the solid foundation of the University’s 103-year-old home economics program, the oldest in the state.