Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

Career Overview

Teach courses in childcare, family relations, finance, nutrition, and related subjects pertaining to home management. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Also Known As

  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • Instructor
  • Professor

Alternate Job Titles

  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Adjunct Professor
  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • Chef Instructor
  • Child Development Instructor
  • Clothing and Textiles Teacher
  • College Faculty Member
  • College Professor
  • Cooking Teacher
  • Dietetics Professor
  • Family and Consumer Sciences Professor (FCS Professor)
  • Family Consumer Science Teacher (FCS Teacher)
  • Family Resource Management Professor
  • Food and Nutrition Instructor

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities include:

  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, projects, assignments, and papers.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as food science, nutrition, and child care.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.

Knowledge You'll Use

You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:

  • English Language
  • Education and Training
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Psychology
  • Administration and Management

Essential Skills

Success in this career requires strong skills in:

  1. Speaking
  2. Reading Comprehension
  3. Active Listening
  4. Learning Strategies
  5. Instructing
  6. Critical Thinking
  7. Writing
  8. Active Learning

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

  • Written Comprehension
  • Oral Expression
  • Oral Comprehension
  • Speech Clarity
  • Written Expression
  • Deductive Reasoning
  • Inductive Reasoning
  • Near Vision
  • Speech Recognition
  • Problem Sensitivity

Work Style

People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:

  • Dependability
  • Intellectual Curiosity
  • Social Orientation
  • Cooperation
  • Empathy

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

  • Achievement
  • Relationships
  • Independence
  • Working Conditions
  • Recognition

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: Doctoral Degree

Related Work Experience Needed: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years

On-the-Job Training: None or short demonstration

Education Details: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Experience Required: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Technology You'll Use

Popular Technologies & Software

  • Google Docs
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Zoom

Tools & Equipment

  • Bakeware pans
  • Built-in ovens
  • Carousel slide projectors
  • Chef's knives
  • Commercial dishwashers
  • Compact digital cameras
  • Compact disk CD players
  • Computer data input scanners
  • Computer laser printers
  • Computer projectors
  • Conference telephones
  • Deep freezers
  • Desktop computers
  • Digital calculators
  • Digital video cameras

Work Environment

  • E-Mail
  • Contact With Others
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
  • Freedom to Make Decisions
  • Frequency of Decision Making

Salary & Job Market

Salary PercentileAnnual Wage
Entry-Level (10th percentile)$47,580
Median$77,280
Top Earners (90th percentile)$133,180

Workers Employed Nationally: 2,630

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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.

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