Bachelor of Arts in Family and Community Sciences

This program is currently suspended.


The Bachelor of Arts in Family & Community Sciences enables a student to specialize in the areas of Child & Family Studies. The common core of the program is devoted to students acquiring an understanding of family transitions, diversity, and resource management; sensitivities to the needs and value systems of individuals, families, and groups which vary by age, socioeconomic status, and ethnic identity; and the role expectations of professional family life and community educators. 

Mandatory Advising

FCS majors must see an advisor to prepare a Graduation Plan which outlines their individual course sequence. Students who wish to substitute credits earned at another institution for courses offered for the major at SF State must obtain acceptance from the major advisor and the Department Chair.

Degree Requirements

A prescribed sequence of courses must be adhered to as some classes are offered only in the fall or spring semesters. All major courses must be passed with a letter grade of C- or better. CR/NC is not allowed.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Family and Community Sciences majors will explain and relate the synergistic and integrative nature of Family and Community Sciences (FCS) to the three critical components of its body of knowledge: core concepts, integrative elements, and cross-cutting themes.
  2. Students will understand life course development for diverse individuals and families through the use of the human ecosystems theory.
  3. Based on life course development, within the context of relevant human ecosystems, students will apply sustainable management of resources, problem-solving, decision making, and technical strategies for the capacity building of individuals, children, families, and community vitality.
  4. Students will research, evaluate, synthesize, and apply their findings to issues and problems that affect the quality of life for individuals, children, families, and communities.
  5. Students will analyze and evaluate how individual, family, and national decisions may impact other countries of the world.
  6. Students will apply an integrative, synergistic focus to address critical societal issues.
  7. Students will Identify and evaluate issues of social responsibility, professional behavior, and ethics.

Assistance to Enhance Writing Competence

Writing skills are necessary for success in the major. GE Area A2 is required in order to take FCS 312GW, the beginning of the sequence of upper-division FCS courses, which fulfills the GWAR requirement.

Family & Community Sciences (B.A.) — 45 Units

Core Courses (39 units)

FCS 220Young Children and Families 13
FCS 223 1
FCS 312GWGender, Race, Class, and Family Diversity - GWAR3
FCS 321Adolescents and Families3
FCS 325Transitions in the Family Life Cycle3
FCS 420 1
FCS 422Early Childhood Education Curriculum: Birth to Five 13
FCS 423 1
FCS 426Family Stress, Coping, and Resilience3
FCS 428Children and Families with Violence, Abuse, and Neglect3
FCS 430Management Dynamics: Life Goals and Decisions3
FCS 524Supervised Experiences with Children, Family, and Community 13
FCS 600Professional Development3

Electives (6 units)

AA S 320Chinese in the United States3
AA S 323Chinese American Identities3
AA S 330Nikkei in the United States3
AA S 333Japanese American Identities3
AA S 338Okinawan American Heritage and Culture3
AA S 350Filipina/os in the United States3
AA S 353Filipina/o American Identities3
AIS/AFRS 350/LTNS 355Black Indians in the Americas3
AFRS 303African American History3
AFRS 304
AFRS 345Blacks in Urban America3
AFRS 370Health, Medicine, and Nutrition in the Black Community3
COUN 325Selected Problems In Counseling3
E ED 306Understanding and Supporting Families in ECE3
FCS 543Sustainability in the Textile, Housing, and Food Industries3
LTNS 315Latina/os in California3
LTNS 415Latina/o Economic Empowerment3
LTNS 430/C J 435Race, Crime, and Justice3
LTNS 450Critical Latinx Indigeneities3
LTNS/WGS 505Gender, Sexuality, and Latino Communities3
NUTR 356Foods and World Culture3
NUTR 357Principles of Food Preparation3
PH 305Critical History of Public Health in the United States3
PH 315Drugs and Society3
PH 320Contemporary Sexuality3
PHIL/SXS 3693
PSY/SXS 320Sex and Relationships3
PSY 330Child Development3
PSY 435Developmental Psychopathology3
SPED 330Introduction to Disability3
SPED 370Young Children Disabled or At Risk and Their Families3
SXS 300Introduction to Human Sexuality3
SXS 301
SXS 350Selected Issues in Human Sexuality3
WGS 301
WGS 304Gender and Popular Culture3
WGS 511Women and Violence3
WGS 515Gender, Race, and Reproductive Justice3
WGS 530
1

Courses needed for the California Child Development Master Teacher & Site Supervisor Permits.

Complementary Studies

Bachelor of Arts students must complete at least 12 units of Complementary Studies outside of the primary prefix for the major. (Note: Students may not use an alternate prefix that is cross-listed with the primary prefix for the major.)

Students who complete two majors or a major and a minor automatically complete the Complementary Studies requirement. Students in the Bachelor of Arts in Family & Community Sciences major who wish to satisfy the Complementary Studies requirement with a coherent group of courses complementary to the major must have the courses approved by an advisor in the major. Consult with a major advisor for assistance.

First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)

  1. The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
  2. In order to choose your English Composition A2 course and your QR/Math B4 course, please complete the online advising activities at writingadvising.sfsu.edu and mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.

First-Time Student Roadmap

General Advising Information for Transfer Students

  1. Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
  2. The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
    • a course in U.S. History
    • a course in U.S. & California Government

For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:

  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.

Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.

Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).

Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.

Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.

Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.

Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs

Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.

Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.