Nov 12, 2024  
2024-2025 University Catalog 
    
2024-2025 University Catalog

Family and Consumer Sciences Education, BS

Location(s): West Lafayette


About the Program


Making a difference in the lives of young people is what Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education is all about. As a family and consumer sciences educator, you can make a lifelong impact. You can help students develop the ability to become independent, to assume family and community roles, and to succeed in the workplace. Students in FCS benefit from extensive field experiences in schools and community agencies.

Purdue’s FCS Education graduates are in high demand and often receive several job offers. Because the program is aligned with national standards, you will not only have met requirements for an Indiana teacher’s license, but you’ll also be prepared to teach anywhere in the United States. FCS Education is an interdisciplinary program between the College of Health and Human Sciences and the College of Education. See Teacher Licensure Information in the plan below.

This program meets state and national licensure standards and is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the State of Indiana, State Board of Education. 

Department of Human Development and Family Studies

Family and Consumer Sciences Education Major Change (CODO) Requirements   

Purdue University-Main Campus | College Scorecard (ed.gov)

Degree Requirements


125-128 Credits Required

Departmental/Program Major Course Requirements (109 credits)


Required Major Courses (109 credits)


Family and Consumer Sciences Content (Maintain a minimum Content GPA of 2.50/4.00.)

Professional Education Requirements


All required Professional Education, and Learner Specialty Pathway courses are calculated into the 2.5 Overall Teacher Education GPA requirement with no grade lower than a ”C”.

Foundational Courses


Family & Consumer Sciences Education


Learner Specialty Pathway Optional Concentration


If you desire additional information regarding the Learner Specialty Pathway Concentrations, please reach out to your academic advisor or visit the Learner Specialty Concentrations tab found here.  

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (16-19 credits)


GPA Requirements


  • 2.5 Overall GPA is requried for the Teacher Education Program.
  • 2.0 Overall Graduation GPA is required for a Bachelor of Science degree.

Teacher Licensure Information


Successful completion of the Purdue University Family and Consumer Sciences Education Program, Family and Consumer Sciences Education, BS, and the State of Indiana licensure requirements results in an Indiana initial instructional License in Career and Technical Education (CTE): Family and Consumer Sciences (5-12), and Blended and Online Teaching (5-12). Contact the Office of Teacher Education and Licensure for additional information regarding Teacher Education and licensure requirements.

Office of Teacher Education and Licensure

Teacher Education Program (TEP) Requirements and Milestones

Indiana Licensure information - Each student must meet all degree, program, and licensure requirements prior to being recommended for licensure.

  • 2.5 Overall GPA is required for the Teacher Education Program.
  • Students must successfully progress through Milestone A to enroll in any Professional Education **Restricted Methods course.
  • Successful completion of all Major, Professional Education (including all Foundations Courses with linked Foundations Portfolio Common Assessments and **Restricted Methods Courses), Learner Specialty Concentration/Pathway, and degree courses are required prior to Milestone C. Program limitations restrict additional courses to be taken simultaneously with or following student teaching without advance authorization.
  • Successful completion of all Foundations Portfolio Common Assessments are required prior to Milestone D.
  • Blended and online Teaching licensure requirements are embedded into coursework for all Undergraduate Licensure Programs.
  • Beginning July 1, 2025 - According to the Indiana State Board of Education, students seeking an Initial Indiana License in a content area involving literacy instruction, including special education, must obtain an early literacy endorsement, Science of Reading (P-5), as required under IC 20-28-5-19.7.

Non-course / Non-credit Requirements


  • Must document ServSafe Manager Certification.
  • Must complete 4,000 clock hours of successful employment in Family and Consumer Sciences or 1,500 clock hours of supervised work in Family and Consumer Sciences under an approved Teacher Education Program or an equivalent combination.

Pass/No Pass Policy


  • A student may elect the Pass / Not-Pass grading option for elective courses only, unless an academic unit requires that a specific departmental course/s be taken Pass / Not-Pass.  Students may elect to take University Core Curriculum courses Pass / Not-Pass; however, some major Plans of Study require courses that also fulfill UCC foundational outcomes.  In such cases, students may not elect the Pass / Not-Pass option.  A maximum of 24 credits of elective courses under the Pass / Not-pass grading option can be used toward graduation requirements. For further information, students should refer to the College of Health and Human Sciences Pass / Not-Pass Policy.

University Requirements


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC) 

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement


The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test.  The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused.  There are three different pathways:

  • Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
  • Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
  • Approved course pathway - Complete  one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.

More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.

Upper Level Requirement


  • Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
  • Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample 4-Year Plan


16 Credits


Spring 1st Year


16 Credits


18 Credits


16 Credits


15 Credits


18 Credits


16 Credits


Spring 4th Year


12 Credits


Pre-Requisite Information


For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.