Family and Consumer Sciences Major
at George Fox University
If you’re looking for a degree with versatility – one that would allow you to pursue careers in the fashion, interior design, nutrition, hospitality, retail merchandising or food management arenas, among others – George Fox University’s family and consumer sciences major is an ideal fit. We also offer a Christian college environment dedicated to integrating your faith with learning.
Choose among four Family and Consumer Science major concentrations:
Family and Consumer Sciences
Through education, research, cooperative programs, and public information, graduates of the family and consumer sciences concentration work to improve the quality and standard of individuals and family life in an ever-changing world.
Find employment in food research, nutrition research, food service management, childcare, fashion design, textile design, residential and commercial design, kitchen and bath design, retail merchandising, dietetics, or equipment sales.
You will also be prepared to pursue work in debt counseling, energy conservation management, event planning, advertising, equipment promotion, and public relations.
Fashion Merchandising/Interior Design
The fashion merchandising/interior design concentration is grounded in the academic fields of family and consumer sciences and business. A background in apparel construction and design, merchandising of fashion, and market analysis prepares you for careers in fashion merchandising.
Residential architecture, kitchen and bath planning, and a variety of interior design classes prepare you for positions as an interior designer. Career opportunities include visual merchandising, buying, entrepreneurship, apparel design, textile design, fashion analysis, interior design, and housing and home planning.
Foods and Nutrition in Business
The multidisciplinary foods and nutrition in business concentration incorporates academic cores in consumer-oriented food science education, human nutrition and business.
Course work in food composition and preparation, analysis of consumer trends, and recognition of global food issues prepare you to be a food professional, while courses in human nutrition and contemporary nutrition issues equip you to work in areas of consumer nutrition education.
You’ll also take business courses that prepare you to work in industries requiring the skills of food specialists, including new product development, test kitchens, recipe development, and food product sales and marketing, catering, event planning, and food service management.
Cooperative 3-1 Degree Program Concentration with the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
We offer a cooperative degree program with the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. This cooperative program allows you to attend George Fox University for three years, during which you complete all general education classes, elective classes, and a minimum of 14 specified hours in the fashion merchandising/interior design concentration.
Students apply in their junior year and attend FIDM their senior year to complete a specialized major. The broad spectrum of related courses at FIDM is more varied in content and specific in focus, which allows for the following specializations: interior design, merchandise marketing, and fashion design.
You’ll graduate with a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences with a concentration in interior design, merchandise marketing, or fashion design from George Fox and an associate of arts degree from FIDM.
Request information about the family and consumer sciences major at George Fox University or apply now to begin your education at Oregon's Christian university, ranked as one of the top Christian colleges in the nation by Forbes.
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What we offer …
- Small classes
Our small classes allow students to benefit from frequent one-to-one mentoring. The university’s 13-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio allows for plenty of personal attention.
- Broad curriculum
Students take a liberal-arts curriculum that helps broaden perspectives and contributes to an appreciation and understanding of all aspects of society. All classes are taught from a Christian worldview where faith is integrated with learning.
- Faculty expertise
Our faculty mentor students, develop their leadership skills, and help them connect to professionals while showing them how the Christian faith relates to their field of study. Instructors are accessible both inside and outside the classroom.
- NYC trip
Every other year, students travel to New York City as part of a fashion merchandising and interior design study tour. The trip includes meetings with fashion designers and/or color forecasters.
- Global opportunities
More than half of George Fox undergraduate students participate in an international experience. The university ranks among the top 50 out of 1,400 American colleges in study-abroad participation.
- National recognition
George Fox University is a Christian university classified by U.S. News & World Report as a first-tier regional university, and Forbes ranks George Fox among the highest Christian colleges in the country.
