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 70 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 at least one academic major. SPU encourages students to explore various academic paths, so if you change your mind about a major or minor, or want to include an additional program, you are able to do so, as outlined below.
Note that the University encourages you to enter your chosen major(s) and minor(s) by the start of your junior year. Students who transfer as juniors and seniors should enter a major within their first two quarters at SPU.
- If this is your first quarter at SPU and you identified a major in this department as your first choice on your application for admission to the University, you have gained entry to the major. To change or add a major or minor, follow these instructions.
- If you are an SPU student with an SPU cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better, follow these instructions to enter a major or minor in this department.
- 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.
- 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 or minor, your faculty advisor can work with you to explore options, which may include choosing a different major or minor.
- You must complete the major or minor requirements that are in effect in the SPU Undergraduate Catalog for the year you enter the major or minor.
Time Schedule:
Course planning: Suggested course sequences