All Home Economics

The term “home economics” has a slightly negative connotation, as if it teaches nothing but baking cookies and folding napkins. In a modern undergraduate context, however, it is typically presented as a bachelor’s of science and could equally well be called “multidisciplinary personal and household financial management”.​That’s something of a mouthful, though, so we’ll stick with “home economics”. Considering that 56% of Americans are unable to pay an unexpected bill of $1,000 without going (further) into debt, this is certainly a worthy area of study. Home economics is not, however, widely offered as a degree course outside the U.S, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and the island of Malta.​Home economics majors have a great deal of latitude in selecting courses from the social and natural sciences in addition to their base coursework. This includes modules related to family health, nutrition, textiles, early childhood development, personal finance, and food management. This is valuable knowledge in a world where the typical consumer makes purchases based on advertising rather than rational decisions, many are dependent on pre-prepared meals, and a significant proportion doesn’t understand how credit cards work.