About the Department

Obafemi Awolowo University approved a Bachelor of Science degree programme in Home Economics in 1980. The programme since its inception existed as “Home Economics Unit” in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology. The programme has been graduating students in B.Sc. Home Economics in the different Areas of Specialization: Child Development and Family Relations; Foods and Nutrition; Textiles, Clothing and Design, and Resource Management and Extension successfully till date. The duration of study is four years.

The 1999 NUC-Accreditation Team recommended that the “The Home Economics Programme should be pulled out of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology and made a department of its own”. This is to provide proper identity for staff members and students of Home Economics within the Faculty. It is also to enhance the growth and development of the programme. In recent time, the Faculty encouraged all its undergraduate programmes to repackage its existing products in such a way as to attract students into them. In line with the NUC recommendation and in response to revision and update of programmes and the quest to meet the current needs of our students and the society, the unit revised its existing programme and adopted a name that adequately reflected the revised programme.

The change of name from Home Economics to Department of Family, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences fits into what exist in other Nigerian Universities and other parts of the world, where more appropriate names have been adopted in place of Home Economics. An important reason for the change of name is to reduce/eliminate the misconception and misgiving associated with this important field of study because of the name “Home Economics”. This programme has five areas of specialization which include: Child Development and Family Relations; Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics; Hospitality Management; Textiles, Clothing and Interior Decoration and Resource Management and Extension. The change in name had greatly impacted on the student population applying for the course with recent times.