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Family and Consumer Sciences

Master of Science (M.S.)

On-Campus & Online

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Continue Your Education at UW

Offering three specialized and very different concentrations, the University of Wyoming’s master’s program in family and consumer sciences prepares graduate students for a variety of pathways, including advanced degree programs and family consumer science jobs. If you’re interested in research or a doctoral degree program such as UW’s Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, we offer opportunities to gain necessary research experience. If you’re looking to launch or further your career, we will support you in pursuing applied projects or creative scholarship to achieve your goals.

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Program Details

Tuition and Fees

Please visit our cost of attendance page

Program Requirements

Curriculum & Courses

Department

College of Agriculture, Life Sciences & Natural Resources
Family and Consumer Sciences Department

Family and Consumer Sciences Master's Degree Program at UW

Choose from three concentrations based on your ambitions and interests:

  • Design, Merchandising and Textiles elevates your knowledge of apparel design and the merchandising of textiles. You will be provided with one-on-one mentorship, opportunities to engage in research and creative scholarship with faculty and resources to help travel to conferences.
  • Human Nutrition and Food increases your understanding of food and nutritional science and how to apply that knowledge to disease prevention and enhancement of human potential. You will receive research training and mentorship and engage with faculty across campus. You may also receive financial support for your thesis work and conference travel. Most graduate students in the Human Nutrition and Food concentration are funded and many have teaching responsibilities.
  • Human Development and Family Sciences offers an opportunity to earn your master’s FULLY ONLINE while expanding your knowledge of individuals and families across the lifespan. Particularly beneficial for graduate students who are currently working in human services fields and would like to further their education, this concentration is an entirely online degree program that allows you to progress through the curriculum at your own pace.
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Professor teaching

Application Deadline

March 1

All Students

  • A bachelor’s degree based on a four-year curriculum from an institution accredited by one of the regional associations of the Commission on Institution of Higher Education or equivalent
  • GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale in the previous degree

Domestic Students

  • GRE is NOT required
    **Domestic students whose GPA does not meet the basic requirement of 3.0 but who wish to apply based on their extensive experience in the field and/or strong research experience should consider taking the GRE to support their application. A strong background and strong GRE score may offset a GPA that falls slightly below the minimum of 3.0. 

International Students

  • GRE IS required
    ** Rarely the GRE may be waived for international students with extreme extenuating circumstances. These requests will be evaluated by the graduate faculty. If approved, alternative materials will be required. For more information, please contact the department at fam-consci@uwyo.edu. 
  • For international students whose native language is not English, a minimum TOEFL score of 76 or an official IELTS score of 6.5
  • Evidence of adequate financial resources

How to Apply

Please visit our program admission webpage for more details. 

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What Can You Do With a Family and Consumer Sciences Master’s Degree?

Prepare to meet the opportunities and challenges of today’s complex world with advanced content knowledge and marketable job skills in family and consumer sciences.

Family and consumer sciences explores basic human needs — food, shelter, clothing, family and human relationships — within the context of larger societal systems. With an emphasis on healthy and sustainable living across the lifespan, our family and consumer sciences master’s degree program promotes and improves the physical, social and economic well-being of individuals, families and communities. In particular, we integrate theory, research and practice in human growth and development, personal behavior, environment and housing, food and nutrition, textiles and apparel and resource management. As part of a university that has been fiercely independent since 1886, we also focus on reflective learning, so graduate students can make sound decisions and enjoy a healthy, productive and more fulfilling life while helping others — because the world needs more outside thinkers.

Family and Consumer Sciences Careers

  • Public health
  • Community nutrition 
  • Extension
  • College teaching
  • Research 
  • Family support and intervention programs
  • Governmental agencies
  • Program evaluation
  • Apparel design and marketing
  • Textile development

 

 

Researcher working with petri dishes

Associate Professor Jill Keith is a member of the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering (RSAFG) group on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Members of RSAFG are reclaiming knowledge about the use of Shoshone foods, preserving traditional methods of gathering and preparing those foods, and sharing traditional recipes, stories and other food knowledge among community members and non-Native partners.

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Family and Consumer Sciences Master's Program Highlights

These are just a few reasons to join us in UW’s master’s in family and consumer sciences program online or on campus in beautiful Laramie, Wyoming:

Faculty & Staff

Our program faculty are as diverse as the concentrations. Human Development and Family Sciences program faculty specialize in relationship education programs, gerontology and positive youth development, especially in relation to out-of-school programs. Faculty research in Human Nutrition and Food includes examining indigenous foods and diets of the Shoshone tribe, the Wyoming-grown Peruvian popping bean, and behavioral regulation of eating behaviors during periods of rapid development. Design, Merchandising and Textiles program faculty are working on repurposing apparel, textiles and sustainable products, along with researching and developing new textile fiber.

Graduate Research

You have a variety of options to gain the skills that will benefit you most for family consumer science jobs you’re interested in. Graduate students in the Human Nutrition and Food concentration engage in research with their faculty mentor. Design, Merchandising and Textiles graduate students also participate in research or creative scholarship. Graduate students in the Human Development and Family Sciences concentration can complete a research-based or applied thesis.

Community

As a family and consumer sciences graduate student, you can participate in student organizations such as Phi-U, Student Gerontology Association, and The Fashion Club at UW.

Graduate Funding

Financial aid is available to graduate students in UW’s master’s in family and consumer sciences program through opportunities such as these:

Gayle Neubauer Shaw Graduate Scholarship
Graduate Assistantships

Related Programs

Are you interested in helping others live a healthy and fulfilling life? You may want to consider these graduate programs, as well:

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Family and Consumer Sciences

Dr. Jill Fabricius Keith | Department Head

Department 3354, 1000 E. University Avenue

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: (307) 766-4145

Email: fam-consci@uwyo.edu