Master of Family and Consumer Sciences (M.F.C.S.)

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences offers a nonthesis degree program designed to enhance the skills of post-baccalaureate individuals whose work or family obligations preclude study on the Ames campus. Completion of the MFCS degree has permitted many individuals to obtain the credential needed for advancement while continuing their current employment. The program is considered to be a professional master's degree and not preparation for further graduate study.

Students select either a comprehensive option or a specialization option. The comprehensive option can be followed on or off-campus and requires 36 credits covering a variety of family and consumer sciences subject matter. Off-campus courses are offered at several locations via the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) or the World Wide Web (WWW). Specializations are available in Nutrition; Dietetics; Human Development and Family Studies; Foodservice and Lodging Management; and Textiles and Clothing.

In addition, students may select a 42-credit specialization in Family Financial Planning (FFP) or a 36-credit specialization in Gerontology. The FFP and Gerontology specializations, offered in collaboration with six other universities in the Great Plains, are offered exclusively through courses on the Web. The FFP program has been approved by the Board of Examiners of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards as a program with the competencies required to permit those completing the degree to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination. CFP® is a certifcation mark owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

The Program of Study committee, in consultation with the student, establishes the courses to be taken and the acceptability of transfer credits. The major professor is selected from the discipline in which the concentration of coursework will be taken. Written and oral final integrative examinations are required in lieu of a thesis or creative component. A thesis or creative component could be included on mutual agreement of the student and major professor, with approval of the Graduate College.

Admission requirements for the MFCS include a bachelor's degree in a family and consumer sciences/home economics subject area or related disciplines, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a goal statement, and graduation in the upper one-half of class with a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or graduation in the upper one-half of class from a recognized foreign institution. Non-English speaking international students are required to have a TOEFL score of at least 550 at time of admission.

Graduate Certificates
To meet the requirements of the American Dietetics Association for the professional development of registered dietitians, graduate certificates are available in Dietetics Communication, Counseling, Dietetics Management, and Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy, and Family Financial Planning. For detailed information about the certificates, contact the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition or Foodservice and Lodging Management program in the Department of Apparel, Educational Studies, and Institution Management.
For additional information, students should contact the CFCS Research and Graduate Education Office, 126 MacKay Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011, mfcsinfo@iastate.edu