Family and consumer sciences involves studying how families and consumers operate. Much of modern marketing uses carefully designed statistical models to figure out how people make buying decisions: who in the family makes these decisions, how, and when. These models are based on data gathered in a variety of ways. If you like studying human behavior and figuring out how to motivate people to make decisions, or analyzing the factors that causes them to, this might be a great fit.
This video is a good explanation of why you might want to study family and consumer sciences:
The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences has a good summary of the field and what it might be called at different universities:
Family and consumer sciences or FCS is the comprehensive body of skills, research, and knowledge that helps people make informed decisions about their well being, relationships, and resources to achieve optimal quality of life. The field represents many areas, including human development, personal and family finance, housing and interior design, food science, nutrition, and wellness, textiles and apparel, and consumer issues.
Many colleges and universities offer FCS programs. Sometimes it is categorized under education, human ecology, human sciences, consumer economics, or even agriculture.
Specific Majors in This Category
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