FCS Education Online Course Bank

The National Partnership to Recruit, Prepare, and Support FCS Educators seeks to facilitate collaborative relationships with educational institutions to provide online courses for people who want to teach FCS courses at the middle and high school levels. Some states no longer provide FCS teacher preparation courses. The National Partnership seeks the help of post-secondary institutions in making online courses available to students who would otherwise not have an opportunity to prepare to teach FCS.

Courses in the online bank could satisfy licensure requirements* addressing the following content areas:

Culinary arts, hospitality, and tourism;
Education and training;
Food science and nutrition;
Health management and wellness;
Housing and interior design;
Human/child development and family relations;
Personal and family finance; and
Textiles, apparel and retailing.

*Please note that verification that the course meets the requirements for the state in which licensure is sought will be the responsibility of the student taking the course.

Universities wishing to offer online courses in the course bank should complete the institutional application to become “Institutional Members” to the National Partnership. A Memorandum of Agreement developed by the National Partnership will be required by all institutions wishing to participate. Institutional Affiliates will agree to use a common student application available online with a one-time application fee to students of $50.00 and assess a common per credit hour tuition.

Interested in Offering Courses through the Online Bank?

Suggested outline of procedures required by some universities to become a member of the National Partnership and offer courses through the online course bank:

Faculty member initiates a conversation with his/her department chair indicating an interest in developing or using a current course for online delivery through the National Partnership OR Department Chair initiates a conversation with a faculty member indicating an interest in having the faculty member develop or use a current course for online delivery through the National Partnership.
Faculty member and/or department chair meet with the supervising dean to seek approval. The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) will be discussed including acceptance of the common application, common tuition rates per semester hour for undergraduate and graduate students, and other parts of the MOA.
Dean meets with the provost or vice-chancellor to seek approval to become a partner. MOA is discussed.
If courses will be offered through Continuing Education (CE), the academic officer of CE will be included in appropriate meetings.
The Registrar or financial officer may need to be included in discussions.
Appropriate approvals are obtained and the MOA is signed by authorized personnel.
Signed MOA is returned to the National Partnership

Proposed courses to be submitted for consideration to the National Partnership may be discussed with Dr. Jan Bowers, Project Administrator, and Dr. Jane Walker, Project Consultant, prior to initiating the campus discussion beyond the department chair level to assure the proposed submissions are aligned with the needs of the National Partnership.

Interested in Taking Courses through the Online Bank?

The National Partnership to Recruit, Prepare, and Support Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Educators provides information about online preparation courses that may satisfy course content requirements to meet the certification/licensure requirements for FCS teachers. Once the initial application and fee are received, candidates may take one or more courses;.

To apply, candidates must:

have an overall minimum grade point average of 2.8
demonstrate a commitment to the FCS profession in a personal statement paragraph

To be considered for acceptance into the online FCS teacher preparation courses, the candidate must submit:

Online application – complete your online application
Personal Statement – the personal statement paragraph is an opportunity to describe the role of FCS for individuals, schools, and communities. The paragraph should be no more than 250 words, double-spaced in 12-point font. Include name and application date in the paragraph.
Unofficial transcripts – The online application will require the candidate to upload an unofficial transcript of all undergraduate courses, and if applicable, graduate coursework that has been completed, regardless of whether the graduate degree has been conferred. The transcript must clearly show the candidate's name and the administering institution’s name.
Application fee – After completing the online application, a $50.00 application fee will be assessed prior to submitting your application materials. The payment may be made by credit or debit card. Application fees are NONREFUNDABLE.

Once all application materials have been received and reviewed, candidates will be notified of the admission decision.

FCS Education Online Course Bank