Our mission is to contribute to developing resilient families, businesses, and communities. We seek to serve as a catalyst for long-term family, community, and policy changes that strengthen and promote our stakeholders, and to improve their quality of life through our research/scholarship, instruction, and extension service throughout Hawai‘i and the Pacific Basin.

The Department of Family and Consumer Sciences has two academic undergraduate academic programs, B.S. in Family Resources and B.S. in Apparel Product Design and Merchandising. It also fosters Cooperative Extension Service programs, including 4-H, Community Education and Leadership, Agricultural Leadership, and Intergenerational programs, and it works in collaboration with the Center on the Family.

Family Resources Degree Program

Study human development, family development, and family resource management. Prepare for positions in family service agencies; family life and parenting education programs; children's, youth and gerontology programs; child care and early childhood education centers; and consumer affairs agencies.  —Learn more >>

Apparel Product Design & Merchandising Degree Program

Prepare for a career in apparel- and fashion-related fields. Learn fashion industry operating methods; develop buying and merchandising plans; study textile fibers and fabrics; create fashion apparel lines; examine Hawaiian, Asian, and western costumes; and study social, ethical and environmental issues that impact fashion businesses and consumers.  —Learn more >>