"You’re a family science major? What’s that?"

Every time someone asks me what I’m studying, this is what I get in response.

Usually, I give a short summary that makes sense to me, but I guess not to other people, and the person who asks is still confused. Since I never fully answer the question, I thought I’d clear it up here.

In simple terms, family science involves studying families and relationships. I take classes about families, relationships, living situations, child development, and much more. Pretty much, I learn about the functions of families and relationships, along with research skills.

Some people might think it’s weird to study families, but trust me, there is so much to learn that is not common knowledge.

I think family science is a cool opportunity to learn about people. I learn about people of all ages and how they interact. To me, learning about people is really important. I’m surrounded by people all the time in so many places and for so many reasons. The more I understand about them, the better I can get at functioning with them in all sorts of situations.

The reason I chose to be a family science major is because I’m passionate about families, children, and improving the lives of people altogether. I think sometimes people get caught up in the whole money aspect of what you’re studying, but sometimes that can’t take priority. For example, some people decide to go pre-med or study business because, typically, those types of majors lead to well-paying jobs.

This is not to say that every pre-med and business student is in it for the money, two of my best friends are pre-med and business students here at Miami, and they are extremely passionate about what they do. The point is, it’s not always about the money. I’m in this genuinely because I care about people.

The main question I get about family science is “what are you going to do with that?” After hearing all the classes I’ve been taking, it’s not very surprising that I can do a ton with this major. I can work in a large variety of areas such as business, education, community organizations, religious organizations, writing and communications, healthcare, family intervention, research, and many other areas. This major includes such diverse coursework that can lead to practically anything. I don’t know for sure what I’m going to do with my degree, but I know it will go to good use no matter what I do.

Family science is a unique major here at Miami, and although it’s not extremely common, it’s extremely important. I hope this helps clarify what I’ve been studying.