The Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at New Mexico State University was recently ranked among the top Family and Consumer Sciences degree programs in the United States, according to a national rankings website.
The NMSU Family and Consumer Sciences department was ranked 28th out of 50 by Great Value Colleges. The ranking was created based on graduate degree opportunities, research opportunities, and internship and scholarship opportunities.
Data was collected from the National Center for Educational Statistics College Navigator database, Payscale.com and school websites. Nationwide, there are more than 400 degree programs in Family and Consumer Sciences.
“I was delighted to hear of our national ranking,” said NMSU Family and Consumer Sciences department head Esther Devall. “We have talented faculty who provide our students with excellent educational experiences and individualized advising as well as opportunities for meaningful research experiences. Many of our faculty have won awards for teaching, advising, research and service. Our students appreciate the fact that faculty members know their names and are always willing to help them achieve their goals.”
The department offers undergraduate and graduate programs in five areas, including Clothing, Textiles and Fashion Merchandising; Family and Child Science; Family and Consumer Sciences Education; Food Science and Technology; and Human Nutrition and Dietetic Sciences. They also offer an interdisciplinary undergraduate minor in Child Advocacy Studies. The department has 12 faculty members and more than 320 majors.
Great Value Colleges noted that the department trains students to apply research and theory to issues in every aspect of the field, and gives students options for further specialization within an area of emphasis. Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences are also able to gain hands-on training through field experiences in community organizations or student-run companies.
“The mission of the Family and Consumer Sciences department is to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities in New Mexico and the border region through excellent teaching, research and service,” said Rolando Flores, dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. “They do an excellent job of fulfilling their mission. They are the second largest department in the college and produce 22 percent of our student credit hours each year. Their graduate programs in marriage and family therapy and dietetics are preparing linguistically and culturally diverse professionals to meet the needs of our region. The faculty have successfully obtained large federal grants and are working to increase external funding in the future.”
For more information about the department, visit http://fcs.nmsu.edu. For a complete list of ranked universities, visit http://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/rankings/family-consumer-sciences/
Information from NMSU