The Home Science offers tremendous amount of opportunities and provides a treasure of knowledge on various fields. Undergraduate Level : Although it can be taken at the +2/PUC/Intermediate level (approved by many State Boards and CBSE), the student only begins to really learn about Home Science at the undergraduate level. This is because the practical training begins in printing, basic tailoring, interior design, cooking, dyeing etc.

Students can chose to branch out into other fields, like fashion designing, interior decoration etc. or go on for a Masters in Home Science. There are more detailed courses in nutrition and dietetics, rural community extension, child development, family relations, textiles/clothing and so on. Those with creative minds as well as those with the hard-core scientific views can benefit from a Home Science degree. There are degrees such as the M.Sc in Dietetics/Food and Nutrition, which is designed for the applied scientist, while the ‘creative’ group can chose a career in textile designing or child-care or rural work. Most of the Masters’ programmes require that the candidate has a B.Sc. degree in Home Science.

Career Prospects and Future Projections

The various jobs that Home Science can entail are:

Production jobs

This covers food preservation, dress-making, specialized cooking. Graduates of Home Science can go on to enter the textile business, fashion designing etc. or even work in hotels, the food industry etc.

Research jobs

These projects involve educating specific segments of the population such as mothers, farmers, villagers on the food value of certain food items.

Sales jobs

Sales promotion of food items (baby foods) are given to home science graduates granted they have relevant information and experience.

Service jobs

Maintenance and supervision of house keeping departments at tourist resorts, hotels, catering facilities, restaurants etc.

Teaching jobs

The recognized qualification for a primary school teacher is a Bachelors degree in Home Science and many postgraduates also are taken on as senior secondary school teachers and college professors.

Technical jobs

Manufacturing industries do require home science graduates to serve as research assistants, food analysts, food scientists etc. Home Science students have a wide range of fields that they can enter, as the above list illustrates. Attention to customer services and nutrition is increasing at a tremendous rate, since numerous multinational firms are getting involved in these ventures. This makes a career in Home Economics very promising.