Health & Human Sciences

Human Sciences encompasses a range of careers within Family and Consumer Sciences which provide services aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals and communities. Like all Family and Consumer Sciences careers, Human Sciences is included in career and technical education (CTE) programs in K-12, secondary, and post-secondary programs.

Health sciences focuses on medical and healthcare services, including the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of illnesses and injuries.

Health sciences is not a career pathway within Family and Consumer Sciences; however, Health and Human Sciences are often referred to in combination due to the interconnectedness of those careers, centered around the person, but involve different educational pathways and skillsets. 

As an example, in a recent fast talk presented at the 2024 AAFCS Annual Conference a presenter commented that:

"Public health efforts impact individuals of all ages. Human development teachers educate students about the health and wellbeing of individuals through the lifespan with a focus on physical, intellectual, and social-emotional health. A public health oriented-project provides an opportunity to determine health issues faced by individuals. Through a public health approach, teachers can encourage students to use family and consumer sciences skills and knowledge to explore ways to improve physical, intellectual, and/or social-emotional health." 

In the above example, Human Scientists must understand the health related issues an individual may encounter during their life to best support them as they move through those life stages. A health science or health care provided would treat those medical issues, but the human scientist would focus on improving their quality of life through education, support, and outreach.

Health Science and Human Science each have their own required specialized skill sets and unique educational and career pathways.