Career in Family Studies

Family studies is a dynamic area of study which is derived from subjects like psychology and sociology. The students get to learn personality development skills which help them to be ready to be able to help individuals, families and even groups through various intervention techniques. It includes how to discern specific problems as a useful skill, learning how human service agencies and professionals deal with familial problems. So if you have an interest in family, children or human service this is a good fit for you. Family studies being this vast has a lot to offer and students get to choose which specific field as a career. Some jobs can be pursued with a bachelor’s degree but some of them require additional education, specialization, training or certification. In this blog, we will cover how a Career in Family Studies will look for you.

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Popular Fields in Family Studies

There are a lot of jobs you can do but there are some basic fields that cover all of them. You can choose any of these to pursue as a career in Family studies with regard to your field of interest and these are given below –

Adult Development and Aging

Opportunities exist in the ageing field with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development and Family Sciences. Some of the more popular career opportunities in ageing include – older adult programming and social service, government /public policy, elder law, long-term care and planning, housing specialist, education, health administration, gerontological social work, intergenerational and family research, business, and technology etc if you are interested in working in this field.

Behavioural and Mental Health

There are a variety of roles needed to ensure the holistic health of a person and some examples are given here – case managers, rehabilitation specialists, mental health coordinators, and more. You’ll be working with others, communicating clearly to handle this demanding role. You can choose to become a licensed professional counsellor or specialize in a particular area.  

Business and industry

The students of Family studies provide small and large businesses with expertise in communication, listening skills, problem-solving and group dynamics. Graduates can design and manage employee support programs, marketing and customer service.  

Child and Adolescent Development

People interested in pursuing graduate education or career opportunities in the areas of youth program services, human /social services, research, and government/public policy can try this field.  You will get to advance your knowledge on how family, culture, and neighbourhoods influence child and adolescent development.

Counselling and Therapy

People who follow a counselling or therapy track often go to graduate school and enrol in one of the following programs – Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Social Work, Psychology or Professional/Rehabilitation Counseling. These enable you to develop the skills necessary to intervene with individuals, couples, and families in ways that improve psychological and relational well being through therapy and counselling.

Education

Students interested in education can use their knowledge of human development to direct and lead educational organizations at any and all levels. They can play a lead role in child & adolescent development agencies. You can choose to teach children and much more in the field of education.

Family

You don’t have to limit yourself to roles serving youths or ageing adults when majoring in Family Studies. You are ready to work in all areas of family life. People who wish to support the entire family can offer education opportunities, work in grief services, as a foster care unification specialist, or coordinate services. You could also become a family and marital counselling.

International Education and Development

You can work as an international Family Policy Analyst, Peace Corps and NGO Leadership, International Human Rights Advocacy, Immigration & Migrant Families Service etc if you are interested in working in this field.

Public health

You can try the following jobs where you can help the masses and serve humanity – Public Health Programs & Services, Hospital Family Support Professionals, Prenatal and Maternity Services, Hospice Programs etc.

Public Policy and Law

You can try your hand at helping to make important decisions and policies with regards to helping the people.  Family Policy Analyst, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Military Family Support Services, family law, Advocate/Lobbyist on Behalf of Children, Women, & Family Services could be some of the things you can try if you have interest in this field.

Research & Higher Education

Students with strong statistical backgrounds have the option of many good jobs in research and it is often possible to find a position providing support for a research project. Entry-level positions require a bachelors or master’s degree but professional-level jobs typically require a PhD. Analysts work for local, state & federal government agencies or advocacy organizations. You can choose to study further as well and complete your higher education.

Social work

People interested in careers that involve human services, support and advocacy work have a variety of options. The knowledge of human development programs and policy coupled with planning and coordination skills help them succeed in leadership positions in a variety of organizations including government agencies and non-profit organizations. You can work in the areas of mental health, youth centres, DCYF – Foster Care, health advocates and domestic violence.  

Writing and Communication

You can work in Curriculum & Resource Development in Family Life Education, Public Service Radio and TV Programming, Newspaper & Magazine Journalism on Social Issues Affecting Children and Families if you are interested in writing and communicating the problems people face.

Salaries

Salaries for some of the career paths in Family studies are given below to help you choose which one you might want to try –

Jobs	Median Annual Salaries (Approx.)
Certified child life specialist	$42,542
Certified family life educator (CFLE)	$45,000
Community service manager	$67,150
Medical and health service manager	$100,980
Mental health or behavioral health counselor	$46,240
Nonprofit organization program coordinator	$43,000
Patient advocate	$43,054
Preschool and childcare center director	$48,210
Substance abuse advisor	$46,240
Youth counselor	$36,726

Related Read: Development Studies: Top Universities & Career Scope

Careers in Family Studies

Some of the jobs you can take up with a Bachelors degree in family studies are given below –

• Adult developmental disability services
• After-school program directors
• Business, consumer and family resource services
• Child care protective services
• Community based services
• Drug and alcohol centres (as an assistant)
• Early childhood education
• Family resource centre 
• Foster care programs
• Nursing home activities coordinator
• Psychosocial rehabilitation specialist (PSR)
• Recreational specialists in treatment facilities
• Research
• Residential treatment homes for adolescents
• Shelter homes
• Victim/witness support services (CASA often on a volunteer basis)
• Writing and communication

Some of the jobs you can take up after a Masters degree are given below –

• Adolescent development
• Community counselling
• Counselling
•  Educational psychology (working in public schools)
• Family studies (more emphasis on teaching and education)
•  Healthcare
• Human development and social policy
• Marriage and family therapy
• Rehabilitation Counseling
• Research
• School Counseling
• Social and human support/ advocacy
•  Social work

Recruiters

We have provided a list of the recruiters who generally hire people from this field –

• Adoption agencies
• Adult education programs
• Colleges and universities
• Community action agencies
• Consulting firms
• Consumer protection agencies
• Department and retail stores
• Faith based organizations or religious organizations (FBO’s) and churches
• Family day care
• Family services agencies/programs (financial, family planning, health and wellness, marriage, vocational, food/housing assistance, military family support)
• Federal, state and local government 
• Hospitals
• International aid and relief organizations
• Nonprofit organizations or NGO’s
• Nursing homes
• Pre-schools
• Private homes
• Rehabilitation organizations
• Specialized camps/schools
• Youth services agencies/programs

Best Universities for Family Studies

Some of the best universities in the world which offer degrees in family studies are given below –

•  Cornell University
•  University of Connecticut
•  The University of Texa
•  Virginia Tech
•  University of Maryland
•  Michigan State Univerity
• Iowa State University
• Purdue University
• Pennsylvania State University
•  Texas Tech University
• Ohio State University
• Colorado State University
• Brigham Young University
• University of Wisconsin
• University of Illinois
• University of Florida

Family Studies Colleges in India

The colleges in India which provide degrees in family studies are given below –

• Acharya Prafulla Chandra College, Kolkata
• Assam Agricultural University
• Banasthali Vidyapith
• Chandigarh University
• College of Home Science
• J D Birla Institute
• Jain University, Bangalore
• Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phoole University
• Mount Carmel College, Bangalor
• Mysore University
• NIMS University
• Punjab Agricultural University
• Sir Vithaldas Thackersey College of Home Science, Mumbai
• The University of Mumbai
• University of Calcutta

 Read: Best Colleges for Psychology

Frequently Asked Questions

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So this was all about careers in family studies you can take up to fulfil your dream of working with real people in real-life settings. It can be a very satisfying and fulfilling career if you are interested in this field. You can also check up on other career options and get advice, guidance and counselling from our experts at Leverage Edu.