Careers in Family Studies: What can I do with this degree?
Department of Family Studies
University of Maryland, College Park
Professional Area/
Job Titles
Social and Human Services
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Case manager
Community organizer
Counselor
Family support worker
Activity/recreation director
Administrator
Advocate
Grant writer
Development officer
Researcher
Employers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT)
and Social Work (MSW)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
All of the above, at MFT or
MSW licensed level
Psychotherapist with
individuals, couples, families,
and groups
Clinical case manager
Psychosocial skills trainer
Supervisor/manager of
therapy/treatment program
Program developer
Researcher
Program evaluator
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Government, non-profit and
for-profit agencies designed to
serve children, youth, families,
seniors, and communities
Child welfare/foster care and
adoption agencies
Maternal health agencies
Hospitals, home health, longterm care agencies
Military family support
services
Juvenile service agencies
Substance abuse prevention
programs
Criminal justice settings
Domestic violence shelters
Child and adult protective
services
Peace Corps
Senior day program centers
Offices of aging
Vocational rehabilitation/job
training agencies
Research institutes
All of the above, at MFT and
MSW levels
Social service agencies (public
and private)
Mental health centers
Schools
Hospitals, clinics, hospice
Child welfare agencies
Adoption agencies
Policy and advocacy
organizations
Employee Assistance Programs
Private practice
Strategies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Take counseling, therapy,
psychology, or social work
courses; and courses in specific
populations of interest (e.g.,
aging).
Pursue master’s degree if goal
is be a counselor, social
worker, or psychotherapist.
Learn federal, state and local
government job application
process; apply early because
the process is quite lengthy.
Select an internship in an area
in which you aspire to work.
Take FMST 498C Winterterm
course, Cultural Competence
in Human Services: A Mexican
Immersion Experience.
Volunteer in HHP’s Adult
Health and Development
Program (www.hhp.umd.edu)
if interested in gerontology.
Volunteer or earn credit
working with children in
HHP’s Children’s
Developmental Clinic (KNES
389E). Call Paul Hahn,
Director, at 301-322-0071 for
more information.
Take electives such as: FMST
485 Intro to Family Therapy;
FMST 460 Violence in
Families; FMST 498M Family
Mediation; and FMST 498S
Sexuality: Issues in Family
Therapy and Service Delivery.
Do an internship with a
supervisor who holds the
degree you seek.
Pursue a graduate degree.
Get research experience.
Advocate for policies that
support well-being and quality
of life for all, especially
vulnerable populations.
Participate in programs that
emphasize client
empowerment.
Community Services
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Counselor
Parent educator
Youth development worker
Sexuality educator
Crisis/hotline worker
Program administrator/director
Grant-writer
Development officer
Program evaluator and
researcher (MA/MSW or PhD)
Clergy, pastoral care
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Community centers
YWCA, YMCA
Summer camp programs
Clubs and classes for children
Programs for people with
special needs
Family support centers
Parenting education programs
Cooperative Extension
Local governments
Jobs programs
Churches/synagogues/faithbased organizations
•
Child care centers
Child development centers
Head Start programs
Family daycare
After school tutoring/socialemotional skills programs
School-based programs
Parenting, family life
education, and outreach
programs
Marriage and family
enrichment programs
Cooperative Extension
Health and wellness prevention
settings
Americorps/Peace Corps
Religious institutions
•
•
•
•
Gain relevant experience as an
intern, part time employee or
volunteer.
Visit model programs that
interest you.
Develop wide range of skills
in the arts, sports, activity
leading, and workshop
leading.
Investigate positive youth
development models.
Education
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Certified Family Life Educator
(CFLE)
Teacher – preschool (BA), high
school (BA with certification),
or higher education (MA/MS or
PhD)
Administrator
Advocate/policy analyst
After school program director
Program evaluator
Curriculum developer
School counselor (MA/MS)
Family support counselor for
parents of children with special
needs
Family resource coordinator
Educational researcher (PhD)
Policy
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Family policy analyst
Researcher
Lobbyist/advocate
Legislator
•
•
•
•
•
•
At all levels of government:
Departments of Health,
Education, Human Services,
Nutrition, Occupational and
Human Safety, Immigration
Services, etc.
Nonprofit child/family
research/advocacy
organizations
Policy “think tanks”
State legislature
International organizations
Non-governmental
organizations (NGOs)
Human rights organizations
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gain experience working with
children and adolescents via
internships, part-time work,
and volunteering in community
or religious settings.
Consciously apply child
development knowledge.
Pursue certification in early
childhood education, high
school teaching (child
development, family and
consumer sciences), or daycare
licensure.
Pursue provisional Certified
Family Life Educator (CFLE)
status; and take courses in 10
specified content areas (see
www.ncfr.org).
Explore state funded one-year
MA/MS training and
certification programs for
teachers.
Attend NCFR’s annual spring
Public Policy Conference in
Washington, D.C.
Pursue a relevant internship.
Take electives such as: FMST
487 Legal Aspects of Family
Problems; FMST 497 The
Child and the Law; and FMST
452 Family Policy Analysis.
Read and discuss the news
regarding legislation and social
program funding.
Develop your own opinions
and become familiar with the
arguments used for and against
governmental social programs.
Work with someone in public
office to become familiar with
the impact of social and family
policies on constituents.
Law
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lawyer (J.D.)/graduate degree
Advocate, child/family
Lobbyist
Politician
Mediator
Policy analyst
Researcher
Communications and Business
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Human resource specialist
Employee assistance specialist
Corporate work and family
director
Family financial counselor
Consumer protection specialist
Public relations director
Sales and marketing specialist
Family business consultant
Real estate agent
Consultant
Writer/editor/journalist
Consumer researcher
Market researcher
Entrepreneur
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Divorce/other mediation
programs
Domestic violence
organizations
Child & Adult Protective
Services, legal representation
Victim/witness support
services
Legal aide agencies
Lawyers’ office
District attorney’s office
Capitol Hill
Legislative advocacy groups
Senate or House of
Representatives
Consumer safety organizations
Human resources departments
or firms
Public relations departments
Development offices
Your start-up business
Corporate daycare
Manufacturing industry –
products for children and
families
Newspapers/magazines
Consumer service
departments/agencies
Financial agencies
Marketing research agencies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Take courses such as: FMST
487 Legal Aspects of Family
Problems; FMST 497 The
Child and the Law; and FMST
498M Family Mediation.
Work as a volunteer in the
courts: advocate for victims of
domestic violence, guardian
for person with developmental
disabilities, mediation
programs, and family support.
Participate in university mock
trial and debate teams.
Gain experience in public
speaking, e.g., toastmasters.
Pursue a law degree.
Take courses in work and
family, personal finance,
business, mediation, and
organizational psychology.
Attend workshops on starting
your own business.
Seek an internship relevant to
your interests.
Develop accounting, statistics,
and computer database skills.
Develop public speaking skills.
Develop written
communication skills; submit
work for publication.
Work with a promotional
campaign on campus.
General strategies:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Visit work sites of interest and talk with people in the field you are exploring; conduct informational interviews;
complete a career mapping exercise.
Seek out undergraduate research experiences.
Search for information about individual occupations, including the nature of the work and the earnings potential on
the website of the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics at www.bls.gov/oco/oco1002.htm.
Gain internship and/or volunteer experience working with the populations of interest and with programs serving
families, individuals, and children.
Participate in UM Council on Family Relations (UMCFR), its mentoring program, and service projects.
Consider adding a minor to expand your range of marketable skills.
Keep a portfolio of your best academic work.
Work on public speaking and presentation skills; develop written communication skills.
Accept leadership role in clubs, organizations, or religious settings.
Get to know people from cultures different than your own.
Travel abroad to gain first hand exposure to other cultures; learn a second language.
Don’t discount any of your experiences – look for the ways in which these experiences helped you understand and
work more effectively with people, or that they sensitized you to important family issues.
Pay attention to the news, policies, program initiatives, and public opinion. Develop you own informed opinions
about issues affecting families and children.
Think of the end goal and identify small steps you will need to take to get there.
Visit your academic advisor often to discuss your career plans and preparation.
Examples of Professional Organizations
Relevant to Family Studies Students
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) www.aafcs.org
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) www.aamft.org
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) www.aabt.org
(Formerly known as the Association for the Advancement of Behavioral Therapy (AABT)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) www.socialworkers.org
National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) www.ncfr.org
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) www.geron.org