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The Human Ecology Department at SUNY College at Oneonta strives to provide students with the knowledge necessary to achieve the greatest benefits from an environment of continuing social, economics, and environmental change. Human Ecology describes the interdisciplinary programs concerned with family well-being, human development and welfare, the human environment, and their inter-relationships. An ecological perspective is contextual and focuses on reciprocal relationships between people and their environments, the development of human potential, and their formation of social goals. Thus, the philosophy of 'Human Ecology' encompasses all of our programs: Dietetics, Food Service and Restaurant Administration, Apparel and Textiles (Fashion Merchandising and Design), Child Development and Family Studies, Consumer Studies, and Family and Consumer Sciences Education.
The objectives of the Department of Human Ecology reflect the overall objectives of the college. The Department of Human Ecology is concerned with interdisciplinary issues such as those concerned with family well-being, human development and welfare, the human environment, and their interrelationships. Our goal is to achieve the greatest benefit from our environments under certain conditions of continuing social, economic, physical, biological, and technological change.
Graduates are prepared for careers in dietetics/nutrition, food service/hospitality management, education, business, and human services. Courses are designed to foster creativity, promote personal growth, develop reasoning and management skills, and integrate scholarly methods and research into both the clinical and didactic experiences. The department encourages and facilitates the concept of life-long learning and professional commitment.
The College initiated its program in Home Economics in 1948. Oneonta was one of four institutions in the SUNY system with the unique mission of providing professional preparation in Home Economics. Up until 1969 the only program available was Home Economics Education. Emphasis in Clothing & Textiles, Food & Nutrition and Child Development and Family Studies were added in a general home economics degree. Degrees in Dietetics and Food Service & Restaurant Administration were added in the 70's. In the 1980's, minors were added to departmental offerings. In 1999 the Home Economics Education program was changed to Family & Consumer Sciences Education.
The name of the department was changed to Human Ecology in
1993. Today, the department is the third largest on campus in
terms of the number of majors.
Today's graduates are equipped with knowledge and skills necessary
to help society benefit from constant social, economic, political
and environmental change. Human Ecology continues to offer interdisciplinary
programs concerned with family well-being, human development and
welfare, the human environment, the development of human potential
and the formation of social goals.
Since their beginnings nearly 50 years ago, our programs have been strong and viable. Faculty continue to review and revise the curricula regularly so that graduates are prepared for future challenges.
Programs in Food and Nutrition were developed at Oneonta in 1969. In 1972, the Dietetics major was approved and in 1974, Food and Business was developed as an interdisciplinary program. Both programs undergo continuous assessment and the curricula are revised and updated at regular intervals. The Food and Business program was revised and renamed Food Service and Restaurant Administration in 1998.
The Dietetics program has been revised numerous times since its inception in order that the current requirements of The Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) are met or exceeded. The College offers an undergraduate dietetics program and a web-based dietetic internship that are developmentally accredited by CADE.
In 1997 the New York State Education Department (SED) approved Oneonta's program as a certification-qualifying baccalaureate program. This means that graduates of the Dietetics program have met the SED's educational criteria for the Certified Dietitian Nutritionist (CDN) credential. Applicants for the CDN credential must complete SED's additional requirements for experience and examination and submit the required fee.
Majors take courses in chemistry, biology, the social sciences, food science, food service management, human nutrition, and medical nutrition therapy. Graduates may apply for a CADE accredited supervised practice program. Successfully completing an accredited supervised practice program and passing the national registration examination for dietitians are required to become a registered dietitian (RD).
Our alumni have received supervised practice experiences and graduate school appointments from prestigious institutions throughout the United States. Employment opportunities for dietitians are diverse, challenging, and abundant. Positions are available in:
Hospitals
extended care facilities
outpatient clinics
public relations/media
community/private practice
education
research
food service management (hospitals, nursing homes, day care, school lunch, resorts, business and industry)
nutritional analysis
product development
food manufacturing/processing, marketing, promotion, and sales
In 1998, Food and Business was renamed Food Service & Restaurant Administration. The curriculum has been revised to reflect the expectations of the Council for Hospitality, Restaurant, and Institution Educators (CHRIE). Majors have opportunities to develop leadership potential and professional/technical depth -- two keys to success in food service fields. Students complete courses in food science, food service management, business, nutrition and liberal arts. Employment opportunities are plentiful and varied, with challenging careers available in areas such as:
There are challenging careers available in various organizations such as:
Since 1948 the Department has offered a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics Education which leads to provisional certification for teaching from nursery school to 12th grade. A Master's Degree in Home Economics Education, which lead to permanent certification in New York was offered until 1996. In 1996, a certificate program was offered to allow students to earn provisional certification in home and career skills and home economics. In 1999 the program name was changed to Family & Consumer Sciences Education.
The current Family & Consumer Sciences Education Undergraduate
Program offers a broad knowledge of human ecology, plus skills
in planning and communicating this knowledge to others. Graduates
in the teacher education program receive a B.S. Degree and provisional
certification (valid for five years) to teach Family & Consumer
Sciences in grades K-12 and in adult education. Master's degree
must be completed with two years of successful teaching experience
to achieve permanent certification in New York State.
The B.S. degree in Family & Consumer Sciences Education is
valuable in obtaining a teaching position, as well as positions
in family and community agencies and organizations. Employment
prospects for graduates are excellent. Currently, there are not
enough certified home economics teachers to fill available vacancies.
About three positions exist in New York State for every certified
teacher.
The emphases in Apparel and Textiles, and Child Development and Family Studies were developed in 1969. Students may earn a B.S. in General Human Ecology with a 12-semester hour block of specialized course work. The Consumer Studies emphasis was discontinued in 1998.
The Apparel and Textiles specialization focuses on the relationship of textiles and clothing to the physical, aesthetic, psychological, cultural, economic, and social needs of individuals and their families. Students can concentrate in either merchandising or design.
Fashion merchandising courses emphasize marketing, retailing, promotional techniques and economic analyses. Design students study apparel design, construction and fashion illustration. Emphasis is placed on problem-solving, analytical and creative thinking, as well as technical skills.
The College offers three alternatives to prepare for a career in fashion. First, complete four years at Oneonta to receive a B.S. Degree. Students may enhance this degree by studying abroad, completing a fashion industry internship, and by completing a minor in a complementary field of study, i.e.; art, business, communications, foreign language. Second, is the 3-1 cooperative program with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York City. In this cooperative program degrees include B.S. from Oneonta and an A.A.S. from FIT through majors in Fashion Merchandising, Marketing, Fashion Design, Advertising and Communication, Advertising Design, Apparel Production Management, Textile Design, Textile Development and Marketing, Jewelry Design, and Accessory Design. Students can earn degrees at the American Intercontinental University in London (AIU) through cooperative programs in 2-2 fashion design granting a BS from Oneonta and a BFA from AIU and a 3-1 fashion marketing yielding a BS and an AS from AIU.
After graduation, merchandising students often begin in a retail/wholesale management-training program leading to a position in merchandise buying or store management. Design graduates seek positions in the design department of a garment manufacturer, in fashion illustration, in theatrical costume design, or as a museum or historical society curator. Students interested in fashion promotion find positions involving advertising, public relations and public speaking, creating displays, styling work, and photography. Opportunities exist in wholesale sales, product development and testing, fashion coordination and counseling, and entrepreneurial ventures. Our students also choose to pursue graduate studies in apparel, textiles and related fields.
The Child Development and Family Studies emphasis has two complimentary focuses. First, the program provides majors with the opportunity to study the psychosocial development of children from infancy to late adolescence. The Department's Child Development Center provides an excellent opportunity for our students to observe and study young children under professional supervision. Second, the program focuses on the study and understanding of the family in its many dimensions, including the traditional nuclear family and the many variants of the concept of family that are evolving in contemporary society. The opportunity to study the family in such areas as evolving gender roles, the relationship between the family and the economy, child care and child rearing, and the family in other cultures and across time are provided through electives. The Department encourages students to gain experience through an internship and has placed students in a variety of family-and child-centered professional settings. The philosophy of the Human Ecology Department is that the study of family life and children should lead to fuller understanding of oneself and ones family. This understanding is not only personally enriching but helps students become objective, thoughtful professionals, sensitive to individuals' differences, the unique dynamics of families and the emerging multicultural context in which Americans will live in the near future.
To be competitive in today's challenging job market we encourage students to develop computer and statistical skills. Some careers require an advanced degree and the Child Development and Family Studies Program has an excellent record of helping our graduates obtain admission to graduate programs in the social sciences and education, as well as law and business schools.
The State University of New York College at Oneonta is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) accredits the Department of Human Ecology. As part of the requirements for accreditation, all students who graduate with degrees from the Human Ecology Department must complete a common core of 10 semester hours. Through this core, composed of Nutrition, Family in Perspective, Consumer Resource Management, and Programs and Issues in Human Ecology, students gain historical, scientific and scholarly perspectives of the family as a system. Additionally, students study the interactions of individuals and families with their environment and the interrelatedness of the family with other societal systems. Students in each of the majors within Human Ecology learn about the interrelatedness of specialty areas, e.g. child and family and nutrition, and the family as individuals and consumers. The courses listed below compose the Human Ecology Core.
Program and Issues in Human Ecology (HUEC 200) presents an overview of the field and stresses the role professionals plan in improving the quality of life for individuals and families and solving current issues facing society. (1 credit hour)
Family in Perspective (FAMS 160) analyzes family living as a product of culture, philosophy, and time. (3 credit hours)
Consumer Resource Management (CONS 150) stresses family resource management and management theory and applications. (3 credit hours)
Nutrition (NUTR 140) or Nutrition in Everyday Life (NUTR 142) teaches students to use basic principles of human nutrition to improve the quality of life. (3 credit hours)
The Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) accredits dietetics education programs. Graduates of Oneonta’s developmentally accredited undergraduate program are eligible to apply for CADE accredited supervised practice programs (dietetic internships). After successfully completing an accredited supervised practice program, students are eligible to sit for the national Registration Examination for Dietitians. Those who pass earn the designation of Registered Dietitian (RD).
The Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) can be reached at: 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000 Chicago, IL 60606-6995 Phone: 1-800-877-1600 ext. 5400.
The State University motto "To Learn - To Search - To Serve," defines the overall aims and objectives of the College. Oneonta attempts to help students become informed and responsible members of society, while increasing their capacity for personal enjoyment by broadening their aesthetic sensitivities and satisfaction, and by allowing the development of a wide range of cultural, social, and recreational pursuits. The College encourages students to examine undergraduate years, and to continue growth after graduation. Since each person is unique and progresses at his or her own rate towards the levels of learning, taste, competence, and personal integrity that characterize the educated man or woman, it is not assumed that all students will achieve the ideal in the same way or to the same degree.
The John Templeton Foundation has twice named the College to its prestigious Honor Roll For Character Building Colleges and has cited several of the College's programs as models for character-development efforts in higher education.
Department faculty and staff information is located on the Human Ecology Department web page. You can access this information through the Oneonta State College home page by clicking on Academics, then Academic Departments, then Human Ecology. You can also follow this link <Click here to go to the Human Ecology web page> Use the back button to return to this document.
The Human Ecology Department has just moved into the newly renovated Human Ecology Department.
The Main Department Office is located in room 100. Please call the department secretary at (607) 436 2705 for other specific information.
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