HUEC -- Academics

Baton Rouge, Louisiana |

The School of Human Ecology offers undergraduate programs to prepare students for professional careers in three specialty areas.

The following undergraduate curricula are offered: Dietetics; Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences (human services management, consumer sciences, nursery school and kindergarten teaching concentrations); and Textiles, Apparel Design, and Merchandising. The school participates in the nutrition, food, and culinary science curriculum with the Department of Food Science. In addition, a minor in textiles, apparel design, and merchandising is available to any student attending LSU. Students selecting the premedical concentration are enrolled in the School of Human Ecology. Each curriculum provides the student with a concentrated professional sequence in an area of specialization, the necessary supporting courses in basic sciences and/or arts, and a broad general education. Professional areas supporting certification requirements for nursery school and kindergarten teaching are listed as part of the curriculum in family, child, and consumer sciences.

All undergraduate programs are fully accredited by the Council for Professional Development of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. In addition, specialized accreditation and/or program approval is offered by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the American Dietetic Association, and the Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education.

The School of Human Ecology includes four areas of specialization: textiles, apparel design, & merchandising; family, child, & consumer sciences; early childhood education; and human nutrition.

Programs within the school are interdisciplinary and focused toward preventing problems and addressing the progress of families and individuals in a complex and changing society.

M.S. and Ph.D. degrees offer students a choice of focus in each specialization. Flexible interdisciplinary programs can be structured to meet each individual student's specific interests. These programs may span the three divisions of the school and also extend to other departments at LSU. Students may select an area of specialization from aging, apparel design and production, child development, consumer science, family policy, family science, historic and cultural textiles and apparel, human nutrition and food, merchandising, and textile science. In the early childhood education area, students may seek state nursery school-kindergarten teaching certification. Interdepartmental collaboration includes joint research efforts with many other departments.

The school also enjoys considerable support from the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, the research unit of the LSU Agricultural Center. Additionally, external collaboration with agencies such as the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the USDA Southern Regional Research Center extend educational opportunities for students.