FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES

Peterson Hall
206-281-2195
www.spu.edu/depts/fcs

FACULTY:  Tamara Jo Brewer, Daniela  Geleva, Sandra C Hartje, Sharleen Leslie Kato, Jaeil  Lee, Beth Marie Miller, Gaile  Moe, Sarah Elizabeth Zarelli

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) is a multidisciplinary field of study integrating and applying knowledge from research within the discipline, the natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the arts. Using basic principles from these disciplines, family and consumer sciences offers solutions to problems faced by individuals, families, and communities. Students can major in the following:

• Elementary or secondary family and consumer sciences education
• General family and consumer sciences
• Food and nutritional sciences
• Clothing and textiles
• Interior design

The program provides a strong undergraduate background for those students wishing to attend graduate school. Practicum and internship experiences are available in related industries, public service, and government, and are an integral part of the curriculum.

Requirements for the Majors
Family and consumer sciences views families as the fundamental social unit, and understanding individuals and families is central to each FCS major. The FCS general major prepares students to understand individuals and families and to motivate students to use their specialization knowledge to affect the direction of our culture through service to families and communities.

A variety of degree programs are available in family and consumer sciences, each built around a common core of courses designated as the family and consumer science core curriculum.

Students select a major from the options offered and these courses are taken concurrently with the core curriculum. Of the total credits required for a family and consumer science major, 25 credits must be upper-division credits. Admission to the food and nutrition major requires completion of the following courses: BIO 2129, BIO 2130, CHM 1211, CMH 1330, FCS 1050, and FCS 2365 or FCS 3340. A grade of C- or higher in each of these courses is required. An overall GPA of 2.8 or higher is required for the dietetics specialization; an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher is required for the other food and nutrition specializations. A student must complete the major requirements in effect when the student is admitted to the major.

Admission to the interior design specialization requires an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher and a GPA of 2.8 or higher in the following courses: FCS 1050, FCS 2702, and FCS 2204. Admission to all other FCS majors and specializations requires completion of at least three FCS courses and an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher. Faculty must approve all admissions. A student must complete the major requirements in effect when the student is admitted to the major.

Core Curriculum Required for All FCS Majors.

Individual and Family Development Major
The individual and family development major is intended to prepare students to understand individuals and families, and to use their specialization knowledge to affect the direction of our culture through service to families in business, social service, and educational settings. The major includes supplementary upper-division coursework in sociology, psychology, and health sciences. All majors take the family and consumer sciences core. Requirements for Individual and Family Development Major.

Family and Consumer Sciences Elementary and Secondary Education Major
The B.A. degree is offered in elementary and secondary family and consumer sciences education. All students working toward this degree are required to take the family and consumer sciences core and the required courses in the major to meet the endorsement standards in elementary or secondary certification. Students who complete required courses in the major also meet endorsement standards in elementary or secondary certification. Students who complete the required courses in the major for secondary certification also meet state standards for certification in FCS career and technical education. Students seeking teacher certification in family and consumer education at either the elementary or secondary level must meet the requirements of the teacher education program. For complete FCS elementary education requirements, see the School of Education.

Requirements for FCS Elementary Education Major.
Requirements for FCS Secondary Education Major.

Certification in Career and Technical Education
Seattle Pacific University is an approved institution for certification in career and technical education of family and consumer sciences teachers in middle, junior, and high school FCS programs. FCS majors with elementary certification meet the requirements for a second endorsement in Family and Consumer Science education grades four to 12 and probationary CTE Certification grades nine to 12.  In addition to course requirements, students must meet first-aid requirements.

Food and Nutritional Sciences Major
The B.S. degree is offered in food and nutritional sciences. All majors must take the family and consumer sciences core and all required general courses, plus several specialized courses in one of three areas of study. Chemistry and biology prerequisite courses are best completed by the junior year.

The dietetics specialization in the food and nutritional sciences program, also known as the didactic program in dietetics, has had approval since 1992 by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995; phone 312-899-0040, extension 5400; and at www.eatright.org.

Students who complete the dietetics specialization are eligible to apply for a dietetic internship at another institution. Successful completetion of the dietetic internship confers eligibility for the national registration exam for dietetians. If passed, the student becomes a registered dietitian (R.D.).

Requirements for the Food and Nutritional Sciences Major - Dietetics Emphasis

Requirements for the Food and Nutritional Sciences Major - Food and Nutrition Emphasis

Requirements for the Food and Nutritional Sciences Major - Sports and Exercise Emphasis

Post-Baccalaureate Students Seeking to Fulfill Didactic Program Requirements
Students with a B.A. or B.S. degree in another discipline may apply to the University in order to complete the didactic program in dietetics requirements. These requirements consist of required courses in food and nutritional sciences, along with dietetics specialization courses. The didactic program director will review previous academic transcripts and course materials to determine which course requirements have been fulfilled by prior coursework. Students are required to complete a minimum of four of the required courses at Seattle Pacific University. After completing all requirements students are eligible to apply for an ADA-approved dietetic internship.

Course requirements for post-baccalaureate students seeking to fulfill didactic program requirements are the same as requirements for a major in Food and Nutritional Sciences: Dietetics, except that FCS 1050 and FCS 3240 are omitted.

Textiles and Clothing Major
The B.A. degree is offered in textiles and clothing. The curriculum is designed to train individuals for careers in the areas of retail merchandising, apparel manufacturing, and advertising.

Requirements for the Clothing and Textiles Major - Apparel Design Emphasis

Requirements for the Clothing and Textiles Major - Fashion Merchandising Emphasis

Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
Students in the textiles and clothing program who have major status and have maintained a satisfactory grade point average may select from nine additional specializations if they are accepted into the liaison program with the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Specializations offered through the liaison program with FIT include accessories design; advertising and communication; advertising design; manufacturing management; fashion design; fashion buying and merchandising; jewelry design; textile/surface design; or textile development and marketing. Students considering this option should seek advisement early in their academic careers in order to meet the requirements of both FIT and SPU.

Interior Design Major

The B.A. degree is offered in interior design. The curriculum is designed to train individuals for careers in the areas of residential and commercial design. The Interior Design program prepares students for a variety of entry-level positions in interior design. This interdisciplinary program combines courses from art, business, and family and consumer sciences. The program features a student chapter of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers), a required internship (FCS 4940), AutoCAD courses, and a liaison program with FIDM (the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising).

Requirements for the Interior Design Major

Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Students who have been admitted to the Interior Design major have an option of pursuing a concentrated year of training in interior design by participating in the liaison program with the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles, California.

Students electing to participate in the FIDM liaison would apply in their junior year and attend during their senior year. Students considering this option should seek advisement early in their academic careers in order to meet the requirements of both FIDM and SPU.

Requirements for the Minors
Three minors are offered:

• Individual and Family Development
• Food and nutritional sciences
• Clothing and textiles

A minimum of 30 credits in family and consumer sciences, including 15 upper-division credits, are required for each of the three minors.

Minor in Individual and Family Development
Minor in Food and Nutritional Sciences
Minor in Clothing and Textiles

 

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