Degrees & Programs

he mission of Child Development and Family Studies is to improve the lives of children and families. We provide hands-on experiences to students through involvement in community and professional activities. Specific CDFS courses meet the education requirements for the Child Development permit from the State of California. Please see academic advisor for more information.

Students may obtain a B.A. degree in Family & Consumer Sciences: Child Development and Family Studies (CDFS) with an emphasis in Family Life Education or CDFS. The field of CDFS strives to improve the lives of children and families. As an integrative and interdisciplinary specialization, CDFS incorporates information from a variety of disciplines and focuses on utilizing the prevention approach to assist individuals and families.

Visit the Child & Family Center

Careers
Career options for professionals in the field of Child Development and Family Studies are wide-ranging; many of our graduates pursue the following opportunities:

• Child Care Administrator
• Family Life Educator
• Child Life Specialist
• Social Worker**
• Infant and Toddler Care
• Preschool Teaching
• Child Development Consultant
• Corporate Homan Services Consultant

Professional

• Community Resource & Referral Professional
• Toy Research and Development Professional
• Parent Educator
• Child Care Educator
• Infant and Toddler Care
• Preschool Teaching
• School-Age Program

Consumer Affairs is an option within the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Our program is one of the leading undergraduate programs in the field. It offers an interdisciplinary study of the financial, legislative, psychological, sociological, and cultural factors involved in consumerism.

Areas covered in Consumer Affairs are Consumer Advocacy and Protection, Financial Management, and Housing. In addition, the course work in Consumer Affairs is complemented by minors in several areas including Business Management, Economics, and Marketing.

Through this diverse yet integrated course of study, students will gain specific skills and knowledge, learn by doing in applied field experiences, and have opportunities for independent study in areas of individual interest. Course of study includes:

Consumer Advocacy and Protection

• Consumer Protection Laws and Agencies
• Roles and Responsibilities of Federal and State Government
• Legislation related to Credit, Investments and Product Safety

Personal Financial Planning and Counseling

• Cash Flow Management, Goal Setting
• Investments & Retirement Planning
• Taxes & Insurance
• Debt Management and Legal Recourse

Housing Services

• Housing for the Consumer
• Housing-related Legislation
• Housing in an Urban Setting
• International Housing Issues

Family Life Education in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences provides an academic and professional background for work with children, adults, couples, and families. It offers an interdisciplinary foundation in several areas that influence and enhance the quality of life of children, adults, couples, and families based on education, enrichment and prevention. Fieldwork opportunities where students have direct experiences with individuals and families in the community are provided for qualified students.

Emphasizes apparel design and production, quality control, and the use of textile science.

Emphasizes all aspects of product development and merchandising textile and apparel products in an international environment.

Our department offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Dietetics and Food Administration, Option in Nutrition and Dietetics with two different concentrations:

Concentration #1: Dietetics: Also known as the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), this option fulfills the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) academic requirements to prepare students to become an entry-level registered dietitian nutritionist (known as RD or RDN). The complete steps to becoming an RDN are found here. Study is concentrated in the areas of nutritional science, medical nutrition therapy, community nutrition, nutrition education, food science, food production and management of foodservice operations, chemistry, physiology, plus a variety of supporting coursework in related disciplines. Currently a 3.0 GPA and completion of certain courses is required to be admitted to the major.
Concentration #2: Nutritional Science: This concentration prepares students for careers in research, public health, and industry, or serves as a useful science degree while preparing to enter other medical professions (pre-med, physician assistant, etc). Study is concentrated in biology, chemistry, nutritional science, and selected electives.

The Food Science option at CSULB has a 90% employment rate .Food science draws upon many disciplines, such as nutrition, chemistry, microbiology, math, marketing and law. CSULB’s Family and Consumer Sciences department offers a food chemistry and analysis lab to provide students with hands-on laboratory experience. Additionally, the Food Science program provides several opportunities to study abroad on a short-term OR semester basis. Moreover, students can gain real-life industry experiences while enrolled in the program through the Food Science Internship (FSCI 492F) course.  A minor in food science is also available to students in related fields such as dietetics, chemistry, and microbiology. A Graduate Program is also available to expand on the education and research in food science.

What is Food Science
According to the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), “Food Science is the study of the physical, biological and chemical make up of food and the concepts underlying food processing. Food technology is the application of food science to the selection, preservation, processing, packaging distribution and use of safe food.” To learn more about food science visit IFT.

Sensory Evaluation Lab Facility at CSULB
CSULB FCS department is equipped with a fully operational sensory evaluation lab where consumer testing is performed using analytical (i.e., discriminating between samples) and affective testing (i.e., consumer preference) methods. Our sensory analysis lab allows faculty to work closely with industry, research and academic partners to design studies  and collect data to support original research as well as research and product development , and marketing of food products.

About The Program
Hospitality Management is offered as a Bachelor of Science degree in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at California State University, Long Beach. It is designed to prepare students with the necessary background and expertise to excel as managers and leaders in the restaurant, foodservice, hotel, and lodging industries. The program provides a broad-based foundation in both academic and professional courses and includes hands-on practical experience.

The Hospitality Management program at CSULB is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA), a specialized accrediting body.

• Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management

The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at California State University, Long Beach is an undergraduate program that fulfills the academic requirements to provide students with a foundation of knowledge and skills to enable them to be eligible to apply to and to perform successfully in a dietetic internship upon graduation, as part of their path to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD or RDN).

FALL ADMISSIONS

The application deadline for fall admission is May 31 of each year.

(The application deadline for spring admission is October 1 of each year)

Completion of the admission process prior to that date is required for consideration for admission to the Master of Science degree in Gerontology.

If you are interested in taking courses in a Spring semester, prior to your proposed admission to the program, please contact Dr. Maria Claver for information about registration through "Open University."

Dr. Maria Claver
Phone: 562.985.4495
Email: Maria.Claver@csulb.edu
Office: FCS-FA #11

For Gerontology program, please visit the Gerontology Program website

The Master of Science in Nutritional Science program offers interdisciplinary study in the field of nutrition that allows students to develop particular competencies related to their career aspirations. The program offers four emphases: Nutritional Science, Latino Health and Nutrition, Food Science, and Dietetic Internship, and has a variety of elective courses to meet student needs (with courses in nutrition for exercise and performance, endocrinology, molecular genetics, advanced community, nutrition in the media, etc.).

The research experience is a key part of learning and development for students in the program.  MS in Nutritional Science students develop skills in planning, carrying out, and evaluating research activities and learn to critically use research findings to inform practice decision. Our nutrition faculty have active research agendas and provide many opportunities for student collaborations on research projects. To learn more about faculty research interests, check out pages 11-12 of the Graduate Student Handbook.

Our MS alumni are making an impact in a variety of practice settings, including R&D for food and supplement companies, academia, private practice, and leadership in clinical settings.

Sincerely,
Virginia Gray, PhD, RD
Assistant Professor, Nutrition and Dietetics
Graduate Coordinator

Are you looking for a job in an area that is growing rapidly, that needs people with a broad range of skills, that will improve people’s lives, and that will be exciting, challenging, and rewarding?  Are you looking for personal/family understanding and enrichment about aging?

Consider a Certificate in the field of aging!

• The Certificate program is designed to educate individuals as gerontology specialists within a major field of study.  Students in ANY major are eligible to apply for the Certificate.
• The Certificate in Gerontology may be earned in conjunction with a baccalaureate degree or awarded subsequent to earning a bachelor’s degree.
• Please be aware this program is not eligible for Financial Aid unless pursued concurrently with a CSULB degree program.

The Certificate includes 24 units distributed as follows:

• 15 required units including:
• GERN 400I (Perspectives on Gerontology) (meets GE Capstone requirement)
• ANTH 454 (Culture and Aging),
• BIOL 301 (Biology of Aging) or GERN 482/582 (Health Assessment of the Aging Client)
• PSY 365 (Psychology of Adult Development and Aging) or HDEV 357I (Approaches to Adulthood through Aging) (meets GE Capstone requirement), and,
• GERN 492 (Internship) in a gerontology setting.

A minimum of 9 elective units chosen in consultation with the Gerontology Certificate Coordinator from a list of approved elective courses

• 3-6 units of appropriate coursework in the major field may partially fulfill this requirement, if they contain appropriate gerontology content.
• 3 units may be fulfilled by taking GERN 497 (Independent Study) or an approved substitute.
• Your individual program should be preplanned with the Gerontology Certificate Coordinator so that it can be tailored to your individual needs and interes
• Alumni work in community programs, health services organizations, government agencies, and the private sector.

For Certificate information, please visit the Gerontology Certificate website

For Gerontology program, please visit the Gerontology Program website

The Child Development and Family Studies (CDFS) minor offers the opportunity to take a concentration of courses focusing on children and families. By providing students with an aggreate of CDFS courses students will be better prepared to assume the duties within a variety of careers relating to children and families in an array of settings.

Eighteen units as approved by a Consumer Affairs Faculty advisor. Nine units of required courses include: CAFF 223, 226, 322, and 9 upper division units selected from CAFF 420, 422, 425, 426, and 429 are required for the minor.

The Minor in Consumer Affairs is available to any non-Consumer Affairs major.

Requirements

Take all the following (19 units):

• FMD 152 - Quick Sketch for Fashion (1 unit)
• FMD 154 - Fundamentals of Apparel Production (3 units)
• FMD 155 - Introduction to the Fashion Industry (3 units)
• FMD 256 - Intermediate Apparel Production (3 units)
• FMD 257 - Introduction to Apparel Flat Pattern (3 units)
• FMD 354 - Apparel Tailoring (3 units)
• FMD 357 - Advanced Apparel Flat Pattern (3 units)

Eighteen units including FMD 155, 252, 455, and 457; 6 units including at leat 6 upper division units, selected from FMD 251, 253, 351, 355, 492E as approved by a Fashion Merchandising and Design faculty advisor. It is the students responsibility to adhere to all prerequisites listed below. Several prerequisites fulfill general education requirements.

Significant preparation for employment in the Food Science Industry may be developed through completion of this program of study.

Eighteen units including FCSI 101, 232, 432, 435 or 490, and 469; 3 units selected from FCSI 338, 492F or NUTR 336, and FCSI 497. It is the student's responsibility to adhere to all prerequisites listed below. Some of the prerequisites fulfill General Education requirements.

• HFHM 176 is a prerequisites for FSCI 232.
• FSCI 232 is a prerequisite for FSCI 338, 432, 435, 469, and 492F.

The Minor in Food Science is available to any non-Food Science major.

Refer to major homepage for career, scholastic, and professional development information.

The minor requires 19 units total.

The following courses are required (4 units):

HFHM 170 Intro to Hospitality Management (3)
Prerequisites: None.
HFHM 173 Applied Foodservice Sanitation (1)
Prerequisites: None.
Choose five courses from the following (15 units) :

HFHM 176, 274, 276 or 343, 277, 371, 372, 373, 374, 376, 378, 471, 472, 473, 475, 476, 447 or 477, 479, and 492J
Prerequisites for Courses in Minor:
Students are responsible to adhere to all prerequisites of courses as designated in the catalog. Certain combinations of classes could require additional units. Please see an advisor for help in making these decisions.

The Minor in Hospitality Management is available to any non-Hospitality Management major.

2018-2019 Minor Requirement Sheet for further information

For Gerontology program, please visit the Gerontology Program website

Eighteen units including FMD 155, 253, 353, 457, and 458; 3 additional units selected from FMD 450 or 492E. It is the student's responsibility to adhere to all prerequisites listed below. It should be noted that several prerequisites fulfill general education requirements.

• Prerequisites for FMD 353: FMD 253 and FCSE 296 and CHEM 100 or 11A (fulfills G.E. Category B1b).
• Prerequisites for FMD 450 (fulfills G.E. Category D2b and Global): Completion of GE Foundation courses; ANTH 120 or SOC 100 or 142 (fulfills G.E. Category D2b) and upper division standing or consent of instructor.
• Prerequisites for FMD 457: ECON 100 and 101 or 300 (fulfills G.E. Category D2b) and FMD 353, senior standing or consent of instructor.
• Prerequisites for FMD 458: and FMD 353, senior standing, or consent of instructor.
• Prerequisites for FMD 492E: FMD 451, 455 or 457.

The Minor in Textiles is available to any non-Fashion Merchandising or Textiles and Clothing major.