With the growing competition and limited seats in major fields like engineering, medicine, etc., students often remain confused about their future and which stream to opt. To make these career choices easy, career counselling options are available online to help them make well-informed decisions. Inability to secure admissions in these widely popular fields and lack of knowledge often makes them left with the choice of doing their graduation overlooking their interests. But there are many other options which the students can consider and these options may provide them with ample of opportunities in the future. One such option is Home Science (also referred to as community science in some colleges/universities). Home Science is the combination of basic science and art.
What the article has for you:
- The 5 Disciples of Home Science
- How to Get Started?
- Selection of College
- What to Do After Graduation in Home Science?
- Various PG Courses Offered by Different Colleges/ Universities
- Career Opportunities in Home Science
The 5 Disciples of Home Science
It is composed of the following 5 disciplines:
- Food and Nutrition: It is the study of food, its composition, nutrients and other related concepts like adequate nutrition, daily nutritional requirements,nutritional deficiencies, etc.
- Clothing and Textiles: It deals with the concepts like fiber and fabrics, their properties and production, functional and decorative finishes in fabrics, garment manufacturing techniques and other related aspects.
- Human Development and Family Studies: This discipline is mainly related to psychology and includes the study of human behavior and various developmental milestones in humans, with main focus on child development and also the study of different stages of human life.
- Family Resource Management: It is related to home management techniques. It also consists interior designing and decoration. It also teaches about how to start your own enterprise.
- Home Science Extension: As extension deals with extending knowledge and education to the people for their welfare, home science extension deals with extending and imparting the knowledge of various disciplines of home science to the rural mass. It focuses on importance of good communication skills to deliver knowledge and information to the people.
How to Get Started?
The interested students can opt for B.A./B.Sc. Home Science for their graduation to start their carrier in this field. Some schools also provide an option to choose home science as one of the subjects in class 11th and 12th. The basic requirement for B.Sc. Home Science is passing 12th with science stream, and for B.A. Home Science, there is not any subject requirement as such. The minimum passing marks required in 12th are 50% or according to the particular college/university in which a student is seeking for admission. The admission can be on a merit basis or there may be an entrance exam conducted by the colleges/universities. The course duration may be of 3 years or 4 years (in ICAR colleges/universities).
Selection of College
There are many colleges available in India which offer home science (also referred to as community science) in UG, PG or Doctorate level. Some of the best colleges/universities among many others are listed below:
ICAR Colleges/ Universities
- Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Punjab)
- G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar (Uttarakhand)
- Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur (Kerala) Degree name: Community Science
- Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur (Rajasthan)
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur (Bihar)
- Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad (Telangana)
- Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner (Rajasthan)
- Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
- Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat (Assam)
- Other colleges/universities (mostly for women):
- Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
- Lady Irwin College (Delhi University)
- Banasthali University, Rajasthan
- SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai
- Banaras Hindu University, U.P.
While some of these colleges/universities directly accept admissions on the basis of merit, some of them conduct entrance exams for the same. The exam can be conducted by the individual college/university or else there is a combined exam called AIEEA for the admission in various ICAR colleges/universities. Admission through the AIEEA also provides some scholarships to meritorious students.
What is AIEEA?
Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) All India Entrance Examination (AIEEA) is the national level entrance exam, conducted yearly by the National Testing Agency, for admission to UG, PG, Ph.D. in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, community science, sericulture, dairy technology, food technology, bio technology and related courses in agricultural universities.
Apart from AIEEA conducted by NTA, some individual colleges/universities (also mentioned above), including the ICAR universities also conduct separate exams to fill majority of their seats in UG/PG/Ph.D. level.
What to Do After Graduation in Home Science?
After graduation in Home Science, some colleges/universities provide direct campus placements to the students. However, the students can further continue their studies by doing post-graduation in one of the five disciplines of home science, based on their choice. The process of getting admission in PG is similar as that for UG i.e., through entrance or merit basis. There are some other premier institutes apart from regular home science colleges/universities, that take admission in some specialised courses of home science. Some of these are listed below:
ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition(NIN), Hyderabad: Courses offered are: –
- M.Sc. Sports Nutrition
- M.Sc. Applied Nutrition
- PG Certificate Course in Nutrition
Central Food and Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore: Courses offered are: –
- Ph.D. Food Science and Nutrition
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
- Master of Arts in Social Work
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT):
- M.Des. (Master of Design)
- M.F.M. (Master of Fashion Management)
- M.FTech. (Master of Fashion Technology)
Doctoral Programmes in the areas of Design, Management and Technology as applied with reference to textile, fashion, lifestyle, apparel, craft and any other related field.
- National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad
- Master Of Design (M.Des.)
- PhD in Design
Various PG Courses Offered by Different Colleges/ Universities
There are several courses which individual universities/colleges offer in various disciplines/departments of home science:
Department of Foods and Nutrition:
- Master of Science in Applied Nutrition
- Master of Science in Food Science and Nutrition
- Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics
- Master of Science in Public Health and Nutrition
- Master of Science in Sports Nutrition
Department of Clothing and Textiles:
- Master of Science in Textiles and Fashion Apparel
- Master of Science in Bio-textiles
- Master of Science in Apparel and Textiles
Department of Human Development and Family Studies:
- Master of Science in Social Work
- Master of Science in Human Development
- Master of Science in Child Guidance and Family Counselling
Department of Family Resource Management:
- Master of Science in Home Management
- Master of Science in Financial Economics and Administration
- Master of Science in Family Resource Management
Department of Home Science Extension:
- Master of Science in Home Science – Extension Education
- Master of Science in Extension Education and Communication Management
- Master of Science in Extension and Communication
Diploma courses after B.Sc. Home Science:
- Post graduate Diploma in Public Health Nutrition
- Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics
- Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics
For registering in any of these courses, further details are available on the official websites of the individual colleges/universities. These websites provide full detail about the admission procedure and other necessary requirements for the same.
Career Opportunities in Home Science
After getting into this field, there are wide range of career options for the students according to their interest. Some of the career path the students may pursue are:
- Apparel Merchandising
- Baby Care Taker
- Cafeterias
- Child Care Giver
- Commercial Restaurant
- Community Development Program
- Consultancy and Counselling Centre
- Cook/Chef
- Dress-Making/Designing
- Education field like lecturer in schools and professor in colleges
- Extension Education
- Fashion Designing
- Fashion Journalism
- Food Analyst
- Food Industry
- Food Preservation
- Food Scientist
- Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations
- Health Care Worker
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- Journalism
- Manufacturing Industries
- Nutrition Expert
- Pantry In-charge
- Researchers
- Sales Promotion of Food Items
- Specialized Cooking
- Textile Businesses
- Tourist Resorts
- Welfare Organizations
Apart from these options, individuals can also start their own small- or large-scale enterprise like graduates specializing in food science and nutrition can develop specialized diet plans catering to specific requirements of clients. Likewise, individuals interested in Clothing and Textiles can start their own boutique. Interior designing has also gained wide popularity among recent years. So, starting your own business in interior designing/decoration is also a good option to consider. Several other ventures include the development of innovative food products, event management, curriculum design, content development, freelancing amongst others.
Wrapping Up
Home Science professionals are also recruited by some well-known national or international companies which offer good salary package and great exposure. This article must have helped you know where you are and where your career can head. For those who are still confused there are online counselling sessions.
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