The field needs you. The demand for new family and consumer sciences teachers is greater than the number teachers currently available. The BA in Family and Consumer Sciences Secondary Education prepares you to teach personal and family life skills — including financial literacy, health, human development, fashion, and nutrition.
This program prepares students for teaching positions in middle and senior high schools and informal educational settings, such as businesses, youth groups, and community programs. When you complete required courses in the major, you also meet endorsement standards in Secondary Certification, and Career and Technical Secondary Certification.
- A minimum 67 credits are required for this major, including 25 upper-division credits.
- When you complete the required courses in this major, you also meet state standards for certification in FCS Career and Technical Education.
- If you are seeking teacher certification with Secondary Education Endorsement in Family and Consumer Education, you must meet the requirements of the teacher education program. Review the School of Education’s complete FCS Secondary Education Requirements.
- This degree requires completion of the Family and Consumer Sciences Core, which includes:
- FCS 1050 Introduction to FCS, completed in your freshman or sophomore year. (If you are a transfer student, you may complete this in your junior year.)
- FCS 3240 Individual and Family Development, completed after FCS 1050.
- FCS 4899 Senior Capstone, completed after FCS 3240, and during your senior year.
- You will have met endorsement standards in Secondary Certification, and Career and Technical Secondary Certification when you complete the required courses in the major.
- Entrance to the Secondary Certification program requires a minimum cumulative 2.8 GPA or a 3.0 GPA or higher in the most recent 30 credits.
- You may combine this major with the Human Development and Family Studies major.
entering and completing the major
In order to earn a degree, you must complete an academic major. SPU encourages students to explore various academic paths, and students are not required to enter a major immediately upon admission to the University. However, you should enter a major by the end of your sophomore year to help ensure your timely completion of a degree. Students who transfer as juniors and seniors should identify and enter their major within their first two quarters at SPU.
- If this is your first quarter at SPU and you wish to enter a major in this department, you may select a program by using the online Major or Minor Application form. You will receive an email notification of acceptance.
- If you are an SPU student with an SPU cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better, use the online Major or Minor Application form to select your major. You will receive an email notification of acceptance. Students on academic probation (with an SPU cumulative GPA below 2.0) will not be permitted to enter a new major or minor until they regain good academic standing.
- If you plan to pursue teacher certification, maintain a 3.0 GPA once admitted to this major.
- Your application is due on or before the first Friday of Autumn, Winter, or Spring quarter.
- Applications for this major are reviewed once per quarter.
- The University requires a grade of C- or better in all classes that apply to a major or minor; however, programs may require higher minimum grades in specific courses. You may repeat an SPU course only once for a higher grade.
- To advance in this program, meet with your faculty advisor regularly to discuss your grades, course progression, and other indicators of satisfactory academic progress. If your grades or other factors indicate that you may not be able to successfully complete the major, your faculty advisor can work with you to explore options, which may include choosing a different major.
- You must complete the major requirements in effect in the SPU Undergraduate Catalog for the year of admittance to the major.