Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
7/30/99
For immediate release
Contacts:
Lynette Spicer, Extended and Continuing Education (515)
294-1327, lspicer@iastate.edu
Lois Hunt, Extended and Continuing Education (515) 294-4803,
x1hunt@exnet.iastate.edu
Flexibility Is Key to ISU Family and Consumer Sciences Distance Degree
AMES, Iowa -- Lorie Luscombe has found a flexible way to balance family, a demanding work schedule and steady progress toward a master's degree that fits her career goals. She is a student in the Master of Family and Consumer Sciences program at Iowa State University, a program that allows her to take classes at her own pace and often from remote locations.
Luscombe is a nurse practitioner in the greater Des Moines area. She said she wanted to advance her education, but not in the direction of academics with a master's in nursing. She "went exploring" to see what might fit her career goals and found the family studies area in the ISU program fit her needs. Next year, she plans to graduate.
"I have to work with families anyway in the daily caring for patients," said Luscombe.
Luscombe has been able to take some classes on the Iowa State campus, but then combine them with courses offered in the Des Moines area over the Iowa Communications Network (ICN).
The Master of Family and Consumer Sciences (MFCS) program was developed about five years ago to meet needs of professionals across the state of Iowa.
"The large majority of our students have jobs where they can advance if they have a master's degree," noted Mary Winter, associate dean for graduate education and research in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at Iowa State.
The ability to take graduate course work at sites away from the ISU campus was needed for many, who found it difficult to move to the Ames campus because of work or family ties.
Winter said many of the program's adult students are in education, social or human services or government agency jobs.
For a "comprehensive track" degree program, students may take all of their course work via the ICN at sites around the state. Also available are "specialization tracks" in which students focus on such interest areas as human development and family studies; textiles and clothing; and hotel, restaurant and institution management. For these areas of study, not all courses are offered on the ICN.
"We are developing more courses all the time," explained Winter. As interest in the program continues to rise and additional flexibility is needed, courses are being developed on the Internet and by videotape. Winter said the distance program is looking at collaborating with other universities to share courses for World Wide Web delivery.
Students already have graduated under the distance program. Fall 1998 recorded 43 active and inactive students. Inactive students are those who are enrolled in the MFCS program, but are not necessarily enrolled for classes each semester. Students frequently sit out a semester or more, then take more classes as time allows.
Courses offered by ICN this fall include Program Development in Family and Consumer Sciences; Theories of Human Development; and Management of Small Apparel Businesses.
For information about the Master of Family and Consumer Sciences program, contact Judy Strand, administrative specialist, or Winter, at (515) 294-5982 or toll-free at (800) 262-0015. Information also may be obtained at the ISU Extended and Continuing Education extension unit Web site: http://www.lifelearner.iastate.edu.
Registration for fall semester continues through August 16.
Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.