Gauri Chhabra
If you wish to get into a career that elevates you into “better living”and get an insight into the core of family ecosystem, Home Science is the career option for you. It would not only beef up your domestic skills like housekeeping, food preservation, stitching, interior decoration, cookery, home decoration, child rearingbut would also help you get into the minutest of details; right from what angle the chair should lean to comfort your back and what should be the ideal weight of a satchel that a school student can carry to what should be the width of the heel for a comfort walk.
Changing Scope
When Home Science was initially introduced, the major areas of specialization used to be Food and Nutrition, Human Development, Family Resource Management, Textiles and Clothing, Home Science Extension and Communication Management. Gradually the scope expanded to encompass many more disciplines. Food and Nutrition became Food Science and Nutrition and late expanded to include nutrition in critical care, maternal and child nutrition, geriatric nutrition, sports nutrition, clinical nutrition and public health nutrition.
Getting in
For admission into B.Sc Home Science, you must have passed (10+2) examination with science subjects such as Biology, Maths and Chemistry. You can also choose to branch out into other fields like fashion designing, interior decoration etc. or go on for a Masters in Home Science. There are more detailed courses in nutrition and dietetics, rural community extension, child development, family relations, textiles. There are degrees such as the M.Sc in Dietetics/Food and Nutrition, which is designed for the applied scientist, while you canalso choose a career in textile designing or child-care or rural work. Most of the Masters’ programs require a B.Sc. degree in Home Science.
Institute Scape
*University of Delhi, Delhi offering B.Sc (Hons) and M.Sc Home Science
*Government Home Science College, Chandigarh, offering B.Sc., M.Sc Home Science and Ph.D in Home Science
*Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, offering B.Sc (Hons),M.Scand Ph.D in Home Science
*Lady Irwin College, Delhi, offering B.Sc. Home Science.
*Dr. BhimRaoAmbedkar University, Agra, offering B.Sc. and M.Sc Home Science.
*Bangalore University, Karnataka, offering B.Sc. and M.Sc Home Science
*Government Girls College, Patiala, offering B.Sc.Home Science.
Career opportunities
Home science opens a plethora of job opportunities that cuts across sectors like Education, Healthcare, welfare organizations, FMCG, Tourism, Food and Beverages, Guidance and Counseling, Apparel and the like.
You may get into careers like:
Dietician
As a dietician, you would plan and supervise the preparation of diets designed for patients, and work in hospitals, clinics, health care centers, wellness programs, fitness, sports centers or own private clinics. You would be required to work closely with doctors and thereby you would develop expertise in a particular medical domain. Besides making the rounds of the respective wards, you would also check the quality and hygiene levels in the hospital kitchen. To excel, you must be in tune with the medical world.
Nutritionist
A thin line of difference exists between the two- as a Nutritionist; you would work in the areas of food science, community development, research projects and Fast Moving Consumer Goods Companies (FMCG). Companies like Nestle, Unilever, Eli Lilly require nutritionists in two areas – Research &Development and Medical Marketing. The research could be in the field, desk or laboratory. You would majorly develop new product concept, interface with different department regulatory and give them technical support. In Medical Marketing, you would be required to organize scientific conferences, manage KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), prepare manuals, flip charts, leaflets, posters for sales force and eventually train them.
Advisor with Government bodies
If you wish to get into the public sector as a nutritionist, you will be required to clear the interview for the post at Food & Nutrition Board (FNB) conducted by the UPSC. If recruited you jump on to become a class-I gazette officer. There are a sizeable number of nutritionists working as Advisor, Technical Advisor or Deputy Advisor. You may have to work with villagers/ illiterate masses and give them solutions which are practical for them to be actually implemented.You may get to work with missions like ICDS, NHRM etc. There are also organizations like Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Diabetic Foundation of India, Nutrition Foundation of India, and Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) which need B.Sc Home Science Graduates for research.
Entrepreneur
If you are innovative and have the entrepreneurial spark in you, you can set up a confectionery, ice-cream Parloror a bakery. You may use innovation to evolve your own products which are more nutritive and different from the conventional ones and add variety at parties or at dining table.
You may also start your hobby centers where interested persons can learn Candle and Paper Flower Making, Preparation of Decorative Articles, Soft Toys, Rangoli, Jewellery Designing, Pot Making, Wall Painting etc.
Suitable therapeutic nutrition and physical education would enable the home science graduate to set up support centers for people with special dietary needs. Guidance could be given to the individuals for keeping fit through diet and exercise and management of obesity and related conditions.
Increase in the nuclearization of families has compelled many old people to stay in old age homes away from their families. Such old age homes could be managed by Home Science graduates where various kinds of activities could be arranged for old people with proper food services and psycho-emotional enrichment.
Women participating in income generation activity outside the home base led to the need of child care outside the family. Children usually require care by adults till they are 12 years of age and should not be left alone at home with the basic knowledge of ‘Child Development’ the Home Science graduates can run childhood care units like day-care centre, crèches, nursery school and after school center.
Fabric & Apparel Designer
As fabric and apparel designer,you would focus on the selection, construction and care of clothing; its effect on the family income; the behavior and chemical nature of different textiles; types of weaves; the quality, color; shrink ability and durability of fabrics, quality of natural fibers like silk, wool, cotton, nature of synthetic fibers like nylon, rayon, etc.
Food Preservationist
You could also work in factories and take care of preservation of vegetables and fruits in the form of pickles, jams, jellies, marmalades etc. The need to buy these from the market would definitely increase keeping in mind the availability of time with women who traditionally were busy doing the work at home. A variety of salads could be prepared to set up salad bar along with fast food to promote healthy living.
Interior Decorator
Interior decoration involves consulting with clients to make sure that the clients’ residential or office space is decorated the way they want and ensuring that the decoration planis realistic and can be executed. You would carry out the decoration plans, and work with other professionals like builders, furniture salespeople, or painters to finish thedecorating job. Interior Decorators can work in any region of the country where they can find clients.
Student Speak
DilpreetKaur, a B.Sc Home Science Graduate from PAU, says,”In the days of Robotics Engineering and Space Science, when I expressed my desire to get into B.Sc Home Science, it was not very well taken by my family eco system. I have been very passionate about the why of things and wanted to know not only the skills of cooking, laundry, decoration and stitching but also wished to dive into the depths of topics like has now opened its doors for new avenues in all possible fields of life. After completing my graduation in B.Sc. (Hons) Home Science from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, I chose to get into M.A Psychology. Now I am working as a career counselor and I feel that my knowledge of Home Science has given me an insight into the reality of Life helps me in better understanding of the student’s psyche”.
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